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THE    ADVENTURES 
OF  A  SUPERCARGO 


BY   THE   SAME  AUTHOR 
UNIFORM   EDITION 

BY    REEF    AND     PA1,M    AND    THE 
EBBING    OF    THE    TIDE 

PACIFIC    TAI,ES 

HEI^EN  ADAIR 

RODMAN    THE    BOATSTEERER 

YORK.E    THE    ADVENTURER 

J.   B.  I,iPPiNCOTT  Company 


THE   ADVENTURES 
OF  A  SUPERCARGO 

'By      LOUIS      BECKE 


PHILADELPHIA: 
J.    B.     LIPPINCOTT     COMPANY 


PRINTED    IK    CREAT    ERITAIM 


TO 

MY   OLD   SHIPMATE   IN   SOUTHERN    SEAS 

MY   DAUGHTER 

NORA     LOIS 


HoNPi,EUR,  Calvados, 
January,  1906. 


THE   ADVENTURES 
OF  A  SUPERCARGO 


CHAPTER   I 

The  night  air  was  heavy  with  the  perfume  of  the  wild 
convolvulus  and  the  flowers  of  the  golden  wattle,  as  a 
lad  of  sixteen,  carrying  a  weighty  fish  basket  slung  from 
his  shoulder,  began  the  ascent  of  a  narrow,  rocky  path 
leading  from  the  shores  of  the  quiet  little  bay  to  the 
densely  timbered  uplands. 

The  summit  gained,  he  freed  himself  of  his  load,  by 
slipping  the  leather  strap  over,  his  head,  and  as  the 
basket  touched  the  ground,  it  canted  on  one  side,  and  a 
number  of  large  silvery  bream,  still  alive,  slid  out  upon 
the  grass,  their  bodies  gleaming  under  the  light  of  the 
myriad  stars  shining  out  from  a  vault  of  cloudless  blue. 

With  a  sigh  of  content,  the  youth  sat  down  upon  the 
sward  and  looked  at  the  scene  below,  and  then  across 
the  slumbering  water  to  the  blaze  of  the  lights  of  the  city, 
four  miles  away.     Just  beneath  was  the  deep,  land- 


8  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

locked  bay,  darkened  by  the  shadows  of  the  high,  tree- 
clad  hills,  and  showing  no  sign  of  life,  except  a  faint 
gleam  from  the  stern  ports  of  a  large  barque,  whose  bulk 
impressively  dominated  over  that  of  several  smaller 
vessels — brigs,  schooners,  and  a  dismantled  and  ancient 
paddle-wheel  steamer.  All — even  the  lofty-sparred 
barque  herself — ^were  "  condemned  "  craft,  and  had  been 
moored  in  the  cove  for  a  long  time,  some  for  three  or 
four  years.  And  they  were  all  dear  to  the  heart  of  the 
boy,  who  was  now  regarding  them  with  wistful  eyes,  and 
building  up  romances  about  them  in  his  imaginative 
brain.  For  he  had  known  them  ever  since  they  had  been 
towed  into  the  secluded  little  cove,  to  await  being  sold 
as  coal  hulks,  or  to  be  broken  up  for  the  sake  of  their 
copper  or  Muntz  metal  bolts. 

Once,  when  he  was  three  years  younger,  there  had 
been  as  many  as  fifteen  "  condemneds  "  in  sleepy  Sirius 
Cove,  and  then  one  day  there  came  along  two  panting 
tugs,  and  four  of  them  were  taken  away  to  be  made 
**  fit  for  sea  "  again  to  take  coal  to  California  or  Panama 
or  Valparaiso.  For  those  were  the  days  when  the 
private  marine  surveyors  had  very  pleasant  financial 
relations  with  the  official  Marine  Board  of  New  South 
Wales,  and  many  hundreds  of  sailormen  went  to  their 
deaths  in  heavily-insured,  ex-condemned,  and  rotten  old 
crates  called  ships,  whose  captains  and  officers  well 
knew  that  there  were  ten  chances  to  one  of  the  vessel 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  9 

not  reaching  her  destination  if  she  met  with  bad  weather. 
But  they  were  heavily-insured  ;  and  the  "  hard-up  " 
captains  and  mates  who  signed  the  articles  at  the 
Shipping  Office  were  always  broken  and  reckless  men 
who  cared  little  for  their  own  lives,  and  still  less  for 
those  of  the  scratch  crews  of  dead-beats  and  loafers, 
who  called  themselves  "  Able  Bodied,"  and  "  Ordinary 
Seamen."  If  the  ship  arrived  at  her  port  of  discharge, 
the  skipper  and  his  officers  received  a  bonus  in  addition 
to  their  wages,  and  the  crew,  who  had  already  spent 
their  one  or  two  months'  advance,  and  were  in  debt  to 
the  ship,  were  encouraged  to  stick  to  her  for  the  return 
voyage  by  the  gift  of  a  few  bottles  of  Queensland  rum, 
and  the  seizure  by  the  captain  of  such  wretched  effects 
as  they  possessed.  These  were  locked  up  in  the  cabin, 
so  that  if  any  one  of  the  hands  before  the  mast  deserted, 
he  would  go  ashore  with  nothing  but  what  he  stood  up 
in — a.  ragged  shirt,  and  a  pair  of  worn-out  pants,  with 
perhaps  an  ancient  pair  of  shoes  or  sea-boots. 

But,  if  the  ship  never  turned  up  again,  and  was 
reported  "  missing "  at  Lloyds,  there  was  but  little 
comment  made,  except  by  the  people  in  the  insurance 
office.  They  took  big  risks,  and  charged  big  premiums, 
and  had  no  concern  otherwise  about  men's  lives.  And 
even  in  these  latter  days,  the  life  of  a  merchant  seaman 
too  often  counts  for  naught. 


lO  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

For  half-an-hour  or  more,  the  lad  lay  upon  the  grassy 
sward,  watching  the  changing  lights  of  the  city,  and 
listening  to  the  soft  rustle  of  the  branches  of  the  gum- 
trees  overhead  as  they  were  stirred  by  the  gentle  breath 
of  the  land  breeze  from  the  west.  Then  came  the  sound 
of  hurried  footsteps  upon  the  dry,  crisp  and  fallen 
leaves  which  covered  the  path,  and  he  sat  up. 

"  Tom,"  cried  a  childish  voice,  "  are  you  here  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am,  Sab.  But  whatever  has  made  you  come 
to  this  place  ?  " 

"  To  look  for  you,  Tom,"  and  the  speaker,  a  girl  of 
ten  years  of  age,  who  was  bare-headed,  but  had  a  light 
muslin  shawl  over  her  shoulders,  rushed  excitedly  up 
to  the  boy,  and  placed  her  trembling  hands  in  his. 

"  Come  home,  Tom  dear,  come  home  quickly.  You 
said  you  would  be  back  at  five  o'clock,  and  now  it  is 
nine,  and  oh,  Tom,  Aunt  Christina  means  to  do  some- 
thing dreadful !  I  am  sure  she  does,  for  she  told  Mrs. 
Potter  to  serve  dinner  for  her  at  eight  o'clock,  and  she 
has  dressed  herself  in  her  best  black  silk  dress  with  the 
long  gold  chain ^" 

The  boy  put  his  arm  round  his  sister's  waist. 

"  Yes ;  but  go  easy,  Sabbie,  and  don't  talk  so 
fast." 

"  I  must  talk  quickly,  Tom.  Something  horrid  is 
about  to  happen  !  Aunt  Christina  has  written  to  Canon 
Cooper  about  you,  and  has  asked  him  to  come  to-morrow 


The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercargo  ii 

to  see  you — and  oh,  Tom,  I'm  sure  she  means  to  send  you 
to  England  to  College." 

The  boy's  square  jaw  set  firmly,  and  he  grasped  his 
sister's  hand  tightly. 

"  No,  Sabbie,  she  shall  not  send  me  to  England  ! 
Aunt  has  made  me  pretty  miserable  for  three  years,  but 
I  am  not  a  toddling  infant,  and  I  am  sick  of  her  continual 
bullying.     I'll  run  away  from  home." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  Tom,  don't  do  that,  and  leave  me  all 
alone.  But  come,  let  us  get  back.  Aunt  is  so  dread- 
fully angry.  You  know  you  said  you  would  be  home  at 
five." 

"  I  know  I  did.  But  old  Ryder  is  very  ill,  and  I 
stayed  on  board  the  barque  and  made  supper  for  him. 
Then  at  six  o'clock  he  became  much  worse  and  asked 
me  to  go  for  a  doctor,  so  I  pulled  over  to  the  Circular 
Quay,  and  brought  Dr.  Lascelles  over.  He  stayed 
half-an-hour,  and  then  went  back  in  his  own  boat,  but 
poor  old  Captain  Ryder  begged  me  to  stay  longer,  so  I 
sat  on  the  transoms,  and  fished  out  of  the  stern  port  until 
eight,  when  he  fell  asleep.  What  else  could  I  do  but 
say  '  yes,'  when  he  asked  me  to  stay  ?  He  is  all  alone 
and  very  weak.  See,  there  is  his  cabin  light.  I  filled 
and  trimmed  the  lamp,  and  left  a  note  on  the  table  say- 
ing I  would  be  back  again  sometime  to-night.  And  I 
mean  to  keep  my  promise  if  there  were  fifty  Aunt 
Christinas," 


12  The  Adventures  of  a  Su-percargo 

The  girl   made   no   answer.     She   knew  how  deeply 
her  brother  was  attached  to  the  old  ship-keeper. 


"  Aunt  Christina  "  sat  alone  in  the  spacious  dining- 
room  with  her  open  Bible  upon  her  knees.  She  was  a 
tall,  thin,  handsome  woman,  with  a  white,  stern  face, 
and  dressed  in  a  style  of  fifty  years  back,  the  high 
starched  cap  she  wore  was  no  whiter  and  stiffer  looking 
than  the  carefully  arranged  little  curls  on  each  side  of 
her  face.  A  hard,  severe  face  it  was,  yet  at  times  there 
would  come  into  the  cold  grey  eyes  a  gleam  of  kindly 
light — ^but  alas  !  never  for  her  nephew  Tom,  who  was 
now  standing  outside  the  door,  uncertain  whether  to 
seek  admission  or  not.  On  his  table  he  had  found  a  few 
lines  written  in  his  aunt's  thin  Italian  hand. 

"  Thomas, — I  have  instructed  Mrs.  Potter  not  to  give 
you  any  supper,  and  wish  you  to  at  once  retire.  In  the 
morning,  dress  yourself  in  your  best  clothes,  and,  after 
breakfast,  come  to  me  in  the  library  at  ten  o'clock." 

"  I'll  try  and  see  if  she  won't  let  me  explain,"  the  lad 
muttered  to  himself.     Then  he  knocked  gently. 

"  Come  in,  Sabina." 

Tom  opened  the  door.  "  It  is  I,  Aunt  Christina. 
Sabbie  is  in  bed.     I  want  to  explain,  Aunt ^" 

"  I  shall  listen  to  no  shallow  explanations.  Go  to 
your  room,"  and  Miss  Denison  turned  slightly  in  her 
chair,  and  bent  her  eyes  upon  her  Bible. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  13 

"  But,  Aunt,  do  please  hear  what  I  have  to  say." 

The  lady  turned  sharply,  and  her  nephew's  sun- 
tanned face  flushed  as  she  spoke  : 

"  I  am  grievously  disappointed  with  you,  Thomas. 
Your  conduct  has,  for  many  months  past,  given  me  very 
many  bitter  hours  of  reflection.  Unfortunately,  in 
Australia,  the  lax  scholastic  discipline  that  prevails " 

"  I  am  really  very  sorry.  Aunt  Christina " 

"  Do  not  interrupt  me.  I  cannot  listen  to  your 
excuses.  I  am  too  deeply  hurt  and  mortified  to  discuss 
any  further  your  outrageous  behaviour." 

"  Once  more,  Aunt,  let  me  ask  you  to  listen  to  me — 
if  only  for  one  minute.     Captain  Ryder " 

"  I  desire  not  to  hear  you.  I  place  no  faith  in  any- 
thing you  may  have  to  say  by  way  of  excuse." 

"  Am  I  a  liar,  Aunt  ?  "  he  burst  out  hotly. 

"  How  dare  you  use  such  coarse  language  to  me  ! 
Leave  the  room  !  "  and  Miss  Denison,  rising,  pointed 
to  the  door. 

Too  mortified  to  even  say  good-night,  Tom  went  out 
and  ascended  to  his  room.  For  a  few  minutes  he  stood 
at  the  open  window,  gazing  out  upon  the  sleeping  waters 
of  Sydney  Harbour.  Then  he  looked  at  his  watch — a 
quaint  old-fashioned  silver  Geneva,  the  gift  of  his  dead 
father ;   it  was  a  quarter  past  ten. 

He  tapped  against  the  wall  of  his  room,  "  Are  you 
awake,   Sabbie  ?  " 


14  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Yes,  Tom,  come  in,"  and  then  he  heard  his  sister 
strike  a  match. 

"  Sabbie,"  he  said  quickly,  "  Aunt  has  refused  to 
listen  to  me,  and  I  am  going  out  again.  I  could  do  so 
without  her  knowing  anything  about  it,  but  I  won't. 
I  may  not  be  home  till  the  morning  perhaps  if  old  Ryder 
is  no  better.     There,  good-night." 

A  few  minutes  later  he  was  in  the  hall,  where  he  met 
Mrs.  Potter,  the  housekeeper,  who  had  just  locked  up 
the  house  and  was  going  to  bed. 

"  Open  the  front  door,  if  you  please,  Mrs.  Potter. 
I  am  going  out  to  stay  with  a  sick  man." 

Mrs.  Potter  looked  at  him  aghast,  "  I  cannot.  Master 
Thomas — your  aunt " 

"  Then  I'll  open  it  myself,"  he  said  with  assumed 
roughness,  and  taking  the  bunch  of  keys  from  her  hand, 
he  quietly  opened  the  hall  door. 

"  Good-night,  Mrs.  Potter.  Please  tell  my  aunt  that 
I  may  not  be  home  till  the  morning." 


CHAPTER   II 

Tom  and  his  sister,  who  was  six  years  younger  than 
himself,  were  orphans,  having  by  a  dreadful  tragedy, 
lost  both  their  parents  when  the  boy  was  thirteen  years 
of  age.  Mr.  Denison  had  been  one  of  the  first  civilian 
magistrates  appointed  in  the  colony  of  Tasmania,  where 
he  had  been  stationed  for  many  years  previous  to  his 
marriage.  His  wife  was  the  daughter  of  a  retired 
military  settler,  a  Major  Lotherington,  who  was  a  man  of 
considerable  wealth,  and  who  bequeathed  the  whole  of 
his  fortune  to  his  daughter  ;  he  was  a  widower,  and  Mrs. 
Denison  his  only  child.  He  died  when  Tom  was  so 
young  that  the  boy  had  but  an  indistinct  remembrance 
of  a  fussy,  red-faced  old  gentleman  with  enormous 
bushy  white  eyebrows  and  bright  blue  eyes,  who  would 
come  occasionally  to  visit  his  father  and  mother,  and 
who  was  the  terror  of  the  servants.  He,  however,  was 
very  kind  to  Tom,  and  indeed,  was  intensely  fond  and 
proud  of  his  sturdy  grandchild.  He  would  often,  much 
to  Mrs.  Denison's  frantic  terror,  insist  upon  taking  the 
youngster  for  what  he  called  "  a  bit  of  a  trot,"  which 

16 


l6  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

meant  riding  about  the  station  paddocks  at  a  hard 
gallop,  holding  the  boy  in  front  of  him,  and  making 
the  horse  jump  huge  logs. 

"  Never  mind,  Marion,"  the  boy's  father  would  say, 
"  that  horse  of  your  father's  is  one  of  the  best  '  leppers  ' 
in  Tasmania,  as  he  says,  and  they  will  never  come  to 
any  harm." 

After  the  death  of  the  old,  hard-riding  Irishman, 
Mrs.  Denison  found  herself  a  fairly  wealthy  woman,  and 
insisted  upon  her  husband  resigning  his  magistrateship 
and  devoting  himself  to  pastoral  pursuits ;  and  so  in  a 
few  months  the  family  removed  to  her  former  home, 
much  to  the  delight  of  the  late  major's  servants,  "  bond  " 
and  "  free,"  for  they  all  had  a  great  affection  for  "  Miss 
Marion,"  as  they  still  persistently  called  her. 

The  estate  consisted  of  about  one  hundred  square 
miles  of  splendid  cattle  country,  and  Denison  entered 
with  a  zest  into  the  more  active  life  now  afforded  him, 
and  the  first  year  of  their  life  in  the  Huon  Valley  passed 
very  happily,  although  the  district — as  indeed  was  the 
whole  of  the  northern  part  of  the  colony — ^was  much 
disturbed  by  the  presence  of  numerous  gangs  of  desperate 
bushrangers,  who,  in  addition  to  daring  robberies,  had 
committed  many  appalling  murders.  Settlers'  home- 
steads had  been  pillaged  and  the  male  occupants  who 
offered  resistance  had  been  shot  down  mercilessly  by 
these  men,  who  were  nearly  all  escaped  convicts  from 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  1 7 

Port  Arthur  and  other  penal  establishments.  Not 
only  the  police,  but  the  military  were  employed  in  the 
pursuit  of  these  gangs,  but  it  was  not  often  that  many  of 
them  were  taken  alive,  for  they  preferred  death  by  the 
bullet  or  starvation  in  the  Tasmanian  bush  to  the 
certainty  of  hanging,  or  at  least  re-incarceration  in  that 
abode  of  horror — Port  Arthur,  where  the  slightest  offence 
against  the  prison  discipline  was  visited  by  a  severe 
flogging. 

Only  those  who  have  read  Marcus  Clarke's  novel, 
"  For  the  Term  of  His  Natural  Life,"  or  studied  the 
penal  records  of  Australia,  can  gain  an  idea  of  the 
wickedness  and  savagery'  of  the  then  "  Convict  System  " 
of  New  South  Wales  (which  applied  to  Tasmania  as  well 
as  to  the  mother  colony),  and  the  regulations  and  punish- 
ments of  which  Tom's  father,  when  he  was  a  magistrate, 
had  to  administer,  though  his  innermost  soul  revolted 
at  them.  Hundreds  of  unfortunate  prisoners  who, 
even  under  the  severest  penal  discipline  of  the  present 
day,  would  have  proved  amenable  and  obedient,  were, 
by  the  ferocious  regime  that  prevailed  at  Port  Arthur, 
turned  into  demons,  and  many  convicts  in  the  chain 
gangs  would  sometimes  agree  among  themselves  to 
murder  one  of  their  fellow-prisoners  or  an  overseer  so 
that  they  might  escape  the  horrors  and  miseries  of 
existence  by  a  simultaneous  exit  into  the  other  world 
by  the  hangman's  noose. 


1 8  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

Brutalising,  soul-destroying  and  revolting  in  the 
extreme  was  the  administration  of  a  system  that  had 
been  intended  as  a  deterrent  to  crime — ^it  resulted  as  an 
incentive  to  it. 

During  Mr.  Denison's  career  as  a  magistrate  he  had 
had  brought  before  him  several  prisoners  who  had 
escaped  and  been  recaptured  by  either  the  military,  the 
police,  or  by  settlers,  and  in  each  case — although  he 
was  loth  to  do  so — ^he  had  no  other  course  but  to  send 
them  back  to  Port  Arthur  and  the  chain  gang.  On 
several  occasions,  however,  owing  to  want  of  a  proper 
escort  or  to  the  country  being  flooded  by  the  heavy  rains, 
he  had  been  compelled  to  keep  the  prisoners  in  confine- 
ment at  the  homestead — ^much  to  their  satisfaction,  for 
they  were,  although  handcuffed,  treated  in  a  humane 
manner  and  liberally  supplied  Avith  food,  and,  above  all, 
with  tobacco. 

So  far,  "  Huon  Bank,"  as  the  station  was  called,  had 
escaped  molestation,  although  nearly  every  other 
homestead  in  the  vicinity  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of 
these  desperate  men.  One  day  he  guessed  at  the  reason 
of  his  immunity  from  attack.  He  had  sent  a  man  with 
a  cartload  of  provisions  to  some  of  his  shepherds  in  a 
distant  part  of  the  run  ;  four  miles  from  "  Huon  Bank," 
the  cart  was  stopped  by  three  well-armed  bushrangers 
who,  without  hurting  the  driver,  made  him  give  them  as 
much  salt  beef,  flour,  and  tea  and  sugar  as  they  could 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  ig 

carry.  Then  the  leader,  a  man  named  Marshall,  asked 
the  driver  for  his  "  ration  book  "  and  a  pencil.  Tearing 
out  a  sheet,  he  laboriously  wrote  a  few  lines  and  bade  the 
man  give  it  to  his  master — and  Mr.  Denison  had  to 
laugh  when  he  read  it. 

"  Mr.  Denison  sir  i  am  sory  we  had  to  stik  up  your 
cart  we  are  hard  up  for  tucker  but  i  only  took  6  plugs 
of  terbaccer  and  lef  6  for  the  sepherds  so  you  must 
excuse  liberty  taken.  This  is  to  warn  you  that  Tim 
Hogan  and  his  crowd  are  about  here  and  mean  to  stik 
up  huon  bank,  but  me  and  my  pals  wil  have  no  hand 
in  it  respectfully  Samuel  Marshall  No.  7429." 

Marion  Denison's  face  paled  when  she  heard  the  name 
of  Tim  Hogan — a  man  who  had  committed  several 
atrocious  murders  and  who  was  the  leader  of  a  gang  of 
six  other  ruffians  almost  as  bloodthirsty  and  cruel  as 
himself.  For  twelve  months  he  had  defied  all  attempts 
to  capture  him,  and  had  made  a  boast  that  before  he 
"  was  switched  off  at  Port  Arthur  he  would  add  a  magis- 
trate or  a  soldier  officer  to  his  tally." 

Mr.  Denison  did  not  disregard  the  warning  of  "  Samuel 
Marshall,  No.  7429,"  and  for  many  weeks  he  and  his 
men-servants  slept  with  their  loaded  arms  by  their  side. 
Then  word  was  sent  officially  from  Port  Arthur,  that 
Hogan's  band,  hard  pressed  by  the  police,  had  separated, 
and  that  Hogan  himself  had  escaped  from  the  colony 
in  one  of  the  American  whaleships  that  cruised  about 


20  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

the  Tasmanian  coast  in  the  summer  months.  But  the 
authorities  were  deceived,  for  although  the  gang  had 
been  dispersed,  Hogan  and  one  of  his  fellow-ruffians 
were  in  a  safe  hiding-place  in  the  Huon  Valley,  about 
twenty  miles  from  the  Denison  homestead,  watching  for 
an  opportunity  to  slip  through  the  cordon  of  military 
and  constables  and  gain  the  coast. 

And  then,  into  the  childish  lives  of  Tom  and  his  infant 
sister  came  a  great  tragedy. 

One  hot,  windless  night,  three  or  four  months  after 
Mr.  Denison  had  received  Marshall's  note,  he  was 
awakened  by  one  of  the  station  dogs  which  began  bark- 
ing furiously — and  then  suddenly  stopped.  It  was  past 
midnight,  and  the  men-servants  were  fast  asleep  in 
their  quarters,  which  were  situated  some  hundreds  of 
yards  distant  from  the  main  building. 

Springing  out  of  bed,  and  bidding  Mrs.  Denison  not 
to  be  alarmed,  he  seized  his  heavy  Colt's  pistol — and 
walking  quietly  out  of  the  bedroom  he  opened  the  front 
door  as  noiselessly  as  possible  and  looked  out  towards 
the  men's  quarters.  All  seemed  to  be  quiet,  but  he 
determined  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  dog's  barking, 
and  was  just  about  to  step  out  across  the  dew-laden  grass 
when  he  felt  his  wife's  arm  upon  his  shoulder. 

"  Do  not  go  alone,  Harry,"  she  whispered,  "  ring  the 
yard  bell.  I  just  looked  out  of  the  window  and  saw  two 
men  coming  across  from  the  storehouse.     They  must 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  2 1 

be  here — quite  near  the  house,  if  not  inside.     The  dining- 
room  windows  are  all  open." 

"  Take  my  pistol,  Marion,"  he  said,  "  and  stand  here, 
in  the  shadow,  I'll  go  and  ring  the  bell." 

"  No,  you  won't !  "  cried  a  mocking  savage  voice, 
and  a  man,  whom  Mrs.  Denison  instantly  divined  was 
the  dreaded  Hogan,  seemed  to  spring  from  out  of  the 
darkness,  and,  putting  a  pistol  to  Denison's  chest, 
shot  him  through  the  heart ;  and  then  a  second  figure 
dealt  the  unfortunate  lady  a  blow  upon  the  head  with  a 
cutlass  and  felled  her,   dying,  to  the  ground. 

In  a  few  seconds  the  men  from  the  outbuildings 
were  rushing  towards  the  homestead,  but  were  too  late 
to  seize  Hogan  and  his  fellow-criminal,  who  made  their 
escape  and  were  never  again  heard  of  in  Tasmania. 

Only  for  a  few  hours  did  Marion  Denison  live. 

"  Bring  my  children  to  me,  Williams,"  she  said  faintly 
to  the  station-overseer  as  she  was  carried  into  the  dining- 
room,  which  had  been  lighted  up.  "  I  am  dying.  Bring 
them  quickly." 

And  then  Tom  and  little  Sabina  were  aroused  from 
their  slumber  and  brought  to  the  dying  woman.  She 
held  out  her  arms  to  them,  and  then  in  a  few  minutse 
passed  quietly  away. 


CHAPTER   III 

Six  months  after  the  deaths  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Denison 
Miss  Christina  Denison  arrived  from  England  to  assume 
her  charge  of  the  orphaned  children.  She  was  quite 
twenty  years  older  than  her  late  brother,  and  a  more 
unsuitable  person  to  be  given  the  control  of  an  active, 
high-spirited  lad  of  nearly  seventeen,  like  her  nephew 
Tom,  could  not  possibly  have  been  found.  For  the  most 
of  her  life  she  had  lived  in  the  dull  and  restricted  social 
atmosphere  of  a  remarkably  dull  village  in  the  Midlands, 
where  the  most  exciting  function  of  the  year  was  the 
Vicar's  garden  party,  which  took  place  on  the  same 
afternoon  as  the  local  flower  show,  at  which  she  was  one 
of  the  judges.  The  news  of  the  terrible  tragedy  at 
"  Huon  Bank  "  was  communicated  to  her  by  one  of 
her  brother's  executors,  an  old  friend  and  neighbour 
named  Maning.  Denison,  actuated  no  doubt  by  the 
disturbed  condition  of  the  country  owing  to  the  bush- 
rangers, had  been  careful  enough  to  make  his  will  a  few 
months  before  his  death.     In  some  respects  this  will 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  23 

was  pleasing  to  his  sister,  in  others  it  was  not.  Her 
brother  had  always  allowed  her  one  hundred  pounds  a 
year,  even  when  he  was  only  in  receipt  of  his  salary  as  a 
magistrate,  "  but,"  wrote  Mr.  Maning,  "  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Denison  has  greatly  complicated  matters  and  I  am  much 
concerned  about  my  dear  friends'  boy  and  girl.  I  am 
an  old  bachelor,  lead  a  very  rough  life  in  the  Tasmanian 
bush,  and  I  am  quite  unfitted  to  have  the  care  of 
children  ;  and,  unless  you  come  to  my  assistance — 
which  I  earnestly  hope  you  will  do — I  shall  be  com- 
pelled to  commit  the  care  and  education  of  these  un- 
fortunate orphans  to  utter  strangers."  Then  he  went 
on  to  say  that  if  Miss  Denison  would  come  to  Australia 
and  take  the  charge  of  Tom  and  Sabina  he  would  increase 
her  allowance  to  five  hundred  pounds  per  annum,  and 
provide  her  with  a  suitable  house  in  Sydney,  where  Tom 
at  least  could  receive  a  fairly  good  education  in  the 
public  school,  and  where  she,  he  hoped,  would  find 
congenial  society  and  pleasant  surroundings.  "  Your 
poor  brother,"  he  added,  "  often  told  me  of  his  intention 
to  send  the  boy  to  Sydney  to  a  public  school,  and  there- 
fore I  feel  bound  to  carry  out  his  wishes  in  this  respect." 
With  the  letter  he  enclosed  a  draft  for  two  hundred 
pounds  to  cover  the  lady's  travelling  expenses,  "  feel- 
ing almost  sure  that  she  could  not  decline  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  care  of  an  affectionate  brother's  orphaned 
children." 


24  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

Miss  Denison  would  have  much  preferred  to  have  had 
her  nephew  and  niece  sent  to  England.  The  prospect 
of  a  voyage  to  Australia  even  in  a  luxuriously-appointed 
P.  &  O.  steamer  filled  her  maidenly  bosom  with  fear, 
but,  at  the  same  time,  she  was  not  devoid  of  a  sense  of 
duty  to  the  children  of  the  brother  who  had  been  so  good 
to  her  in  the  past ;  and  then  the  five  hundred  pounds 
a  year  meant  positive  wealth  to  her.  She  was  not  by 
nature  an  unkindly  or  unsympathetic  woman — only  an 
old  maid,  born,  brought  up  and  living  for  forty  years  in 
the  prim,  conventional  and  confined  circle  of  an  English 
country  village  where  the  vicar  and  his  curates  were 
regarded  as  beings  of  a  superior  order,  whose  sermons 
and  stodgy  dinners  were  equally  to  be  listened  to  and 
to  be  eaten  with  that  respect  due  to  the  Established 
Church. 

And  so  Miss  Denison  came  to  Sydney,  where  she  was 
met  by  Maning  and  taken  to  the  house  he  had  secured 
for  her.  It  overlooked  the  placid  waters  of  Sirius  Cove, 
and  was  furnished  in  a  manner  that  alBForded  her  consider- 
able surprise.  She  had  expected  to  find  a  rude,  barn- 
like dwelling  with  two  or  three  rough  servants,  and 
wanting  in  all  the  primary  elements  of  civilisation  and 
refinement ;  she  found  a  handsome,  stone-built  house 
surrounded  by  orchards,  vineyards  and  gardens,  a  staflF 
of  servants  who,  in  their  attire  and  demeanour,  might 
have  been   taken   from   those  of  some  well-regulated 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  25 

English  country  manor,  and  have  been  approved  of  by- 
even  the  wife  of  the  Reverend  Chesters-Masters,  D.D., 
LL.D,,  etc. — a  lady  with  a  cross  eye  and  large  elastic 
side  boots,  who  was  a  severe  critic  of  servants,  male  and 
female. 

"  Where  are  Master  Tom  and  Miss  Sabina,  Mrs. 
Potter  ?  "  asked  Maning  of  the  housekeeper,  as  she 
brought  in  afternoon  tea  to  the  new  chatelaine. 

"  Very  sorry  sir,  but  Master  Tom  and  Miss  Sabina 
have  gone  off  on  board  one  of  the  hulks  in  the  cove. 
They  said  they  wanted  to  catch  some  fish  for  Miss 
Denison's  dinner."  Maning  laughed  ;  but  Miss  Denison 
sat  up  erect  in  her  chair. 

"  You  should  have  kept  them  at  home,  Mrs.  Potter," 
said  Maning. 

"  Couldn't,  sir.  Master  Tom  took  up  my  apron  and 
tied  it  over  my  head,  and  told  me  to  go  to  bed.  Then 
he  ran  off  with  Miss  Sabina.  But  he  promised  to  be 
back  soon." 

Miss  Denison's  thin  lips  set. 

"  I  wish  you,  Mrs.  Potter,  to  send  a  messenger  to — ^to 
— ^the  hulks,  did  you  say  ?  and  tell  Master  Thomas  and 
Miss  Sabina  that  their  aunt  wishes  them  to  return  home 
at  once." 

"  Yes,  ma'am." 

"  Poor  Tom,"  said  Maning  to  himself  as  Miss  Denison, 
with  dignified  austerity,  poured  out  a  cup  of  tea,  "  you 


26  The  Adven lures  of  a  Sup ercarg o 

are  in  for  a  pretty  tough  time."     And  for  three  years 
Tom  did  have  a  "  tough  time  "  with  his  aunt. 


It  was  past  eleven  when  Tom  clambered  softly  on 
board,  over  the  barque's  port  side  in  the  waist,  and  made 
his  way  to  the  big,  roomy  cabin  in  which  his  old  friend 
lay. 

The  lamp,  which  a  few  hours  previously  he  had  set 
on  the  table  and  turned  down  low,  was  now  burning 
brightly. 

"  Is  it  you,  Tom,"  enquired  a  feeble  voice. 

"  Yes,  Captain  Ryder.  I  said  I  would  come  back — 
I  told  Dr.  Lascelles  so." 

"  Come  here,  my  boy.  I  have  been  writing  since  you 
left  me.  See,  there  is  a  letter  for  you  on  the  table,  Tom, 
my  lad.    ..." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Will  you  stay  here  with  me  until  the  morning  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Captain  Ryder,"  and  Tom  placed  his  hand  on 
the  sailor's  forehead — it  was  cold  and  grey  with  the 
shadows  of  coming  dissolution  of  soul  from  body. 

"  Tom,  my  lad,  I  may  die  before  morning.  Are  you 
afraid  to  stay  ?  " 

"  No,  Captain  Ryder." 

"  Ah,  you  saw  your  poor  father  and  mother  .  .  . 
I  forgot  that.     Tom,  my  lad,  keep  the  lamp  high   .    .    . 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  2 7 

You  have  been  a  good  boy  to  me,  and  for  two  years  you 
and  your  little  sister  have  made  the  last  years  of  a  mis- 
spent and  broken  life  happy.  .  .  .  When  I  used  to 
command  the  Hypatia  .  .  .  but  I  have  told  you  the 
story  so  often,  Tom — how  I  used  to  back  and  fill  her 
among  the  fishing  boats  off  the  American  coast,  and 
never  once  hit  anything,  and  how  the  owners  gave  me  a 
bonus  of  five  hundred  sovereigns  at  the  end  of  six 
years'  service  .  .  .  And  now  I  am  dying  ...  a 
worn-out  hulk — as  old  and  worn  out  as  this  old 
barque  herself,  and  the  other  hulks  here  in  '  Rotten 
Row.'  " 

Tom  saw  by  the  strange  expression  in  the  old  seaman's 
eyes  that  he  was  not  only  very  ill  but  was  wandering  in 
his  mind  ;  but  that  he  was  so  near  death  he  did  not 
understand. 

"  Will  you  take  some  more  of  your  medicine,  Captain 
Ryder  ?  " 

"  No,  lad,  no  ;  Dr.  Lascelles  need  not  have  left  it. 
But  give  me  some  cold  water  from  the  bag  under  the 
awning,  my  son,  I  feel  thirsty." 

Tom  slipped  on  deck,  unhooked  a  canvas  water-bag, 
which  was  slung  under  the  awning  on  the  poop  deck, 
brought  it  below,  and  poured  out  a  tumblerful.  The 
old  man  drank  it  eagerly. 

"  Ah,  that  is  good,  Tom,  now  put  a  little  grog  in  the 
glass  and  fill  it  up  again  to  the  brim.     Tom,  you  have 


28  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

been  a  good  lad  to  me — a  poor,  friendless  old  shell- 
back. " 

"  And  you  have  been  a  good,  kind  friend  to  me, 
Captain,"  was  the  grateful  reply.  "  You  have  taught  me 
so  many  things." 

"  Such  as  I  knew,  lad,  such  as  I  knew  ;  a  bit  of  navi- 
gation, a  bit  of  seaman's  work  such  as  I  could  teach  you 
on  a  condemned  hulk,  and  a  bit  of  common-sense.  Is 
the  little  maid  in  bed  ? — ah,  of  course  she  is.  How  goes 
the  time,  lad  ?  " 

"  Seven  bells,  sir." 

"  Tom,  lad." 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  I  have  a  matter  of  forty-seven  pounds  at  the  Savings 
Bank  ;  it  is  for  the  little  maid.  You  will  find  it  all  put 
down  in  the  letter,  and  Potts  and  Paul,  the  ship-chand- 
lers, have  ten  pounds  of  mine  to  see  me  buried  decently, 
ship-shape  and  Bristol  fashion.  And  I  want  you  and  the 
little  lass  to  come  and  see  me  stowed  away  under  the 
soil.  There  will  only  be  you  and  little  Sabbie,  and  maybe 
Mr.  Paul,  if  he  isn't  too  busy  to  come,  Tom,"  and  he 
partly  raised  himself  in  his  bunk,  "  does  your  aunt  know 
you  are  here  with  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Captain,  I  left  word  with  Mrs,  Potter  that  I 
was  coming  to  stay  with  you  until  the  morning." 

"  That's  right,  my  lad,  that's  right.  She's  a  hard 
woman  is  your  aunt,  a  hard  woman  ;    but  she  means 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  29 

well,  and  is  just  according  to  her  lights.  And  you  must 
obey  her  orders,  Tom.  Never  go  against  them  as  has 
been  put  in  authority  over  you.  You  will  give  her  my 
respects,  lad,  and  tell  her  that  I  never  said  nothing  to 
you  that  I  wouldn't  say  to  her  or  any  other  lady,  except 
the  day  when  you  nearly  got  Jack  bitted  in  halves  by  a 
shark.     Where  is  Jack  ?  " 

*'  Asleep  on  the  skylight,  sir." 

"  And  Jacob  ?  " 

"  Here,  sir,  under  the  table,"  and  Tom  stooped  down 
and  lifted  up  an  enormous,  plethoric  old  torn  cat,  half 
blind  with  age. 

"  Put  him  here  with  me,  lad,  the  poor  old  fellow  is 
like  me  and  Jack  and  the  old  Simon  Bolivar — ^we  have 
run  our  time,  hulks,  old  hulks.  Now,  my  lad,  bring  me 
the  dog." 

Jack,  the  old  Newfoundland  dog  who  had  sailed  with 
Ryder  on  many  a  voyage,  rose  and  stretched  himself  as 
Tom  aroused  him  from  his  slumbers  and  let  him  below  to 
his  master,  who,  putting  out  his  hand,  patted  the  animal's 
head. 

"  Lie  down.  Jack,  old  dog,  He  down  here,  beside  me." 
A  few  minutes  passed,  and  the  old  man  closed  his  eyes. 
Then  he  roused  himself  suddenly. 

"  What  is  the  time,  lad  ?  " 

"  Five  minutes  to  twelve,  sir." 

"  Tom,  come  closer  to  me    .    .    .    give  me  your  hand 


30  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

.     .     .     now  strike  eight   bells  and    call   the   watch." 
And  then  his  head  fell  back  upon  the  pillow  and  he 
closed  his  eyes,  and  the  boy  knew  that  the  end  had  come 
to  the  sea-worn  old  guardian  of  the  hulks. 


CHAPTER   IV 

"  Come,  Tom,  you  must  be  reasonable,  and  remember 
that  you  are  but  a  boy,"  and  Canon  Cooper,  a  ruddy- 
faced,  bright-eyed  old  gentleman  of  sixty,  placed  his 
hand  kindly  on  the  lad's  shoulder. 

"  I  am  nearly  seventeen,  sir.  And  I  cannot  submit  to 
be  treated  by  my  aunt  as  if  I  were  a  boy  of  ten — I 
really  cannot,  sir.  I  hate  being  ridiculed,  and  Aunt 
Christina  makes  me  cut  a  very  ridiculous  figure  some- 
times," and  as  he  spoke  his  sunburnt  face  flushed 
angrily  and  a  sullen  look  came  into  the  grey  eyes. 

The  clergyman  was  silent.  He  knew  that  Miss 
Denison's  estimate  of  her  nephew's  character  and  dis- 
position was  an  entirely  erroneous  one,  and  that  she  was 
fast  alienating  the  affection  that  she  could  have  so  easily 
gained. 

"  For  instance,   sir,"  went  on  Tom,   encouraged  by 

the  Canon's  not  replying  to  his  remark,  "  I  cannot  do  as 

she  insists  I  shall  do  in  the  matter  of  clothes — ^wear  an 

Eton  jacket   and  top  hat   on   Sundays   to   church — I 

31 


32  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

should  be  guyed  out  of  my  life  and  have  to  fight  someone 
every  day  of  my  life  as  long  as  I  was  seen  in  such  a  rig- 
out.  Have  you  ever  seen  any  boy  in  Australia  dressed 
in  that  mannikin  fashion  ?  " 

The  Canon  shifted  uneasily  in  his  chair.  "  In 
England  it  is  the  proper  and  correct  dress  for  school- 
boys, Tom  ;  and  young  gentlemen  who  conform  to  the 
customs  of  society  are  not  considered  '  mannikins.' 
Still,  I  think  your  aunt  does  not  quite  see  that  it  would  be 
somewhat  inadvisable  for  her  to — ^to  try  and — er — 
inaugurate  such  a  departure  from  the  colonial  style  of 
dress,"  and  he  turned  away  to  hide  a  smile. 

"  As  it  is,  sir,  I  had  the  biggest  thrashing  I  have  ever 
had  in  my  life  last  year  from  Mr.  Brodman,  the  Head 
Master,  all  through  one  of  Aunt  Christina's  collars — I 
mean  a  collar  she  made  me  wear  on  Prize  Day." 

"  How  was  that,  Tom  ?  "  and  the  clergyman  leant 
back  in  his  chair  and  stretched  out  his  legs.  "  Shut 
the  door,  my  boy.  Here  I  am,  listening  to  your  com- 
plaints instead  of  severely  scolding  you,  for  I  believe  you 
are  not  as  good  a  lad  as  you  might  be,  and  have  had  too 
much  of  your  own  way.     Now  tell  me  about  the  collar." 

"  It  was  the  biggest  turn-down  collar  you  ever  saw — 
as  big  as  a  kid's  cape." 

"  Kii^  kid.? — you  are  vulgar,  Tom." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir.  I  mean  as  big,  or  at  least 
a  quarter  as  big  as  a  baby's  cape.     I  put  it  on  to  please 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  33 

her,  but  took  in  my  pocket  another  of  the  kind  I  always 
wear." 

"  Deceitful,  Thomas  Denison,  deceitful,"  and  the 
Canon  tried  to  assume  a  severe  expression  of  counten- 
ance, but  lamentably  failed. 

"  But  somehow  I  lost  the  other  collar,  and  when  I 
got  to  Sydney,  all  the  shops  were  closed  as  it  was  Queen's 
Birthday  ;  so  I  had  to  go  to  the  prize-giving  looking  like 
a  guy.  I  had  hardly  got  inside  the  big  gates  at  Fort 
Street,  when  big  Sam  Buttle,  the  rich  butcher's  son, 
and  a  lot  of  other  boys  in  the  Fifth,  began  to  make  fun 
of  me,  and  Sam  Buttle  sang  out,  '  Look  at 

'  "  Wee  Willie  Wood 

Who  was  always  so  good,"  ' 

and  all  that  stuff  about  the  kid — the  boy  I  mean — ^who 
was  such  a  marvel  of  goodness.     So  I  went  for  him." 

"  You  mean  you  quarrelled  ?  " 

Tom  nodded.  "  Yes,  sir,  he's  bigger  and  smarter 
with  his  hands  than  I  am,  but  I  stood  up  to  him  all 
right  and  caught  him  one  on  the  left  eye  and  shut  it  up 
in  the  first  round,  and  then  up  came  the  Governor's 
carriage  with  Lord  Belmore  and  Lady  Belmore  and  six 
mounted  police  riding  ahead,  and  they  couldn't  get  in 
through  the  gate,  because,  you  see,  sir,  there  were  about 
two  hundred  boys  in  the  road  and  we  had  a  regular  ring 
like." 

3 


34  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Shocking,  shocking !  "  and  the  old  clergyman's 
right  foot  went  pit-a-pat,  pit-a-pat,  upon  the  floor  as 
his  memory  went  back  to  the  old  college  days,  and  with 
closed  eyes  he  listened  for  more — "  go  on,  Thomas." 

"  Well,  Lord  Belmore  looked  very  angry  and  stroked 
his  black  beard  and  said  something  to  Lady  Belmore  who 
bent  down  her  head  and  laughed.  Isn't  she  a  lovely 
woman,  sir  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  very  beautiful,"  assented  the  cleric  hurried- 
ly, "  go  on,  what  happened  then  ?  " 

Tom  hesitated — "  I  thought  you  might  have  seen 
something  about  it  in  the  Herald,  sir.  It  really  was  not 
my  fault." 

"  I  did  see  something  about  a  disgraceful  affair  at 
Fort  Street  School,  Thomas,  but  no  names  were  men- 
tioned— for  which,  for  your  sake,  I  am  glad." 

"  Well,  two  of  the  assistant  masters,  that  red-headed 
Fenian  Droyer,  and  Mr.  Hare,  the  drawing-master, 
rushed  in  and  seized  hold  of  me  and  Sam  Buttle,  and  then 
one  of  the  mounted  trooper's  horses  began  to  buck  and 
threw  him  sky-high  into  the  air,  and  he  fell  with  an  awful 
crash  into  the  middle  of  the  Governor's  carriage,  and  the 
four  carriage  horses  began  plunging  and  kicking,  and 
Inspector  Scott,  who  is  a  very  heavy  man,  was  also 
thrown  from  his  horse  and  his  sword  broke  in  halves, 
and  he  became  purple  in  the  face,  and  the  Governor 
called  for  a  doctor,  and  Mr.  Desmazures,  the  French 


The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercargo  35 

Consul,  who  is  a  doctor,  and  had  just  driven  up  in  his 
carriage  to  the  gate,  jumped  out,  and  his  sword  caught 
something  or  somebody,  and  he  tripped  and  fell  as  he 
was  trying  to  speak  to  the  Governor,  and  his  cocked  hat 
fell  into  the  road,  and  one  of  the  horses  put  his  foot  on  it 
and  squashed  it  as  flat  as  a  board  and " 

The  old  gentleman  could  no  longer  restrain  his  laughter 
— and  Miss  Denison,  in  her  sitting-room,  heard  him 
and  frowned — was  this  the  lecture  he  was  administer- 
ing ? 

"  And  then,  in  the  midst  of  it  all,  the  two  masters  and 
a  foot  constable  dragged  Buttle  and  myself  out  of  the 
melee  and  locked  us  up  in  the  lodge-keeper's  storehouse. 
Then  after  prize-giving  was  over  we  were  sent  for,  and 
the  headmaster  gave  us  both  a  most  awful  flogging — 
it  was  the  worst  he  ever  gave  me." 

"  Ha,  then  you  have  had  more  than  one  ?  " 

"  Not  more  than  six  in  all  the  two  years  I  have  been 
at  Fort  Street,  sir.  Mr,  Brodman  does  not  believe  in 
flogging,  but  when  he  has  to  flog,  he  does  it — properly. 
Four  out  of  the  six  times  Sam  Buttle  and  I  had  it 
together." 

"  What  for  ?  " 

"  Fighting,"  was  the  candid  reply. 

"  Why  do  you  quarrel  ?  " 

"  For  nothing.  He's  the  school  bully,  and  although 
he  has  whipped  me  every  time  he's  not  satisfied  ;    be- 


36  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

cause  he  takes  longer  to  do  me  up  than  he  does  any  one 
else  in  the  school." 

"  Well,  well,  Tom.  I  suppose  there  will  always  be 
fighting  among  boys — it's  natural  and  very  English- 
like." He  took  out  his  watch  and  looked  at  it.  "  Now, 
Tom,  you  have  taken  me  into  your  confidence  and  I  shall 
take  you  into  mine.  Your  aunt  has  heard  from  Mr. 
Maning,  who  now  consents  to  your  being  sent  to  school 
in  England." 

The  boy's  mouth  set.  Then  he  said  slowly  and  firmly, 
"  Mr.  Maning  told  me,  sir,  not  once,  but  often,  that  I 
should  leave  school  when  I  was  seventeen.  I  shall  be 
seventeen  in  three  months  from  now.  If  my  father  were 
alive  he  would  not  send  me  to  England." 

"  Mr.  Maning  has  changed  his  views,  Tom.  And  he 
is  one  of  your  guardians  and  anxious  for  your  future.  I 
urge  you  to  bear  that  in  mind  and  give  a  cheerful 
acquiescence  to  his  and  your  aunt's  wishes.  When 
*  Huon  Bank  '  was  sold  it  only  brought  eight  thousand 
pounds,  which  will  be  divided — ^what  is  left  of  it — 
between  your  sister  and  yourself  when  you  are  of 
age." 

"  I  shall  take  none  of  it,  sir.  Sabbie  shall  have  it  all. 
I  am  old  enough  now  to  earn  my  own  living  if  aunt  will 
allow  me.     And,  sir,  I  shall  not  go  to  England." 

"  I  think,  Tom,  that  you  are  not  wise.  Furthermore, 
it  is  more  than  likely  that  your  aunt  and  sister  will  also 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  37 

go  to  England  later  on.     And  what  could  you  do  at  your 
age  to  earn  your  living  ?  " 

"  Bob  Stenhouse  went  to  Valparaiso  last  year,  sir, 
to  help  his  uncle,  who  has  a  nitrate  mine  at  Iquique. 
He  is  seventeen  and  could  not  speak  a  word  of  Spanish, 
and  his  uncle  is  paying  him  two  hundred  pounds  a  year. 
I  took  the  first  and  two  special  prizes  for  Spanish  and 
French,  and  I  think  I  really  can  speak  both  languages 
pretty  well,  for  twice  a  week  I  go  for  two  hours  to  Captain 
Herrera,  the  Spanish  Consul,  and  he  and  his  little 
daughter  Carmen  read  and  talk  Spanish  with  me." 

The  clergyman  nodded.  He  had  heard  of  this  from 
Miss  Denison.  "  Then  you  think  of  a  commercial  life, 
Tom  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir — if  I  cannot  go  to  sea.  Poor  Captain  Ryder, 
although  he  told  me  he  was  not  a  crack  navigator,  has 
taught  me  all  he  knew,  and  Commander  Pym,  of  the 
Marine  Board,  will  take  me  into  his  private  class  for  ten 
guineas  the  half-year." 

"  Ah,  dear,  dear  me — the  all-embracing  sea,"  and  the 
old  man  sighed,  "  'tis  like  the  golden  fountain  of  Ponce 
de  Leon  to  youthful  minds."  He  paused  ;  "  Would  you 
not  like  to  go  into  the  Navy  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  should,  sir ;  but  Commander  Pym  told 
me  that  I  might  as  well  try  to  get  to  the  moon — no 
Australian-born  boy  can  get  into  the  Navy  unless  his 
friends  have  plenty  of  money  and  have  some  one  of 


38  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

influence  in  England  to  do  '  a  bit  of  back-scratching 
at  the  Admiralty.'  Australians,  he  says,  have  a  mighty 
poor  chance  for  either  the  Army  or  the  Navy." 

"  True,  true,"  said  the  Canon,  more  to  himself  than 
Tom,  "  and  the  pity  of  it  is  that  it  is  true." 

Then  aloud.  "  How  would  you  care  to  go  into  the 
Bank  of  New  South  Wales,  Tom  ?  I  have  quite  enough 
influence  with  the  general  manager." 

"  No,  sir,  no  thank  you,"  was  the  quick  and  emphatic 
reply  ;  "  I  could  never  become  a  bank-clerk — I  would 
rather  go  into  a  ship  chandler's  as  a  shop  boy,  or  drive  a 
baker's  cart,  than  be  put  behind  a  counter  with  a  pen  in 
my  ear  to  count  filthy  bank  notes." 

"  Tom,  Tom,  you're  a  radical ;  banking  is  considered 
a  very  gentlemanly  avocation — as  good  as  the  law  in 
fact." 

The  boy  was  silent,  though  his  heart  beat  high  with 
hope.  He  felt  sure  that  he  had  enlisted  the  sympathies 
of  the  kindly-hearted  old  clergyman,  and  that  Aunt 
Christina's  plans  had  fallen  to  the  ground. 

"  Now,  Tom,"  said  the  old  gentleman  as  he  rose, 
"  I  am  going  to  talk  to  your  aunt.  She  is  very,  very 
angry  with  you  for  going  out  last  night." 

"  How  could  I  stay  at  home,  sir,  when  poor  Captain 
Ryder  was  dying,  and  I  had  promised  to  come  and  stay 
with  him  ?  I  did  try  very  hard  to  tell  my  aunt  how  very, 
very  ill  he  was,  but  she  would  not  listen  to  me." 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  39 

"  You  did  quite  right,  my  boy,  quite  right ;  and  I 
will  explain  it  all  to  your  aunt  presently.  And  I  shall 
read  the  burial  service  over  your  old  friend  to-morrow 
instead  of  Mr.  Vickers,  who  stutters  dreadfully  and  is 
very  nervous.  And  let  your  mind  be  at  rest  about 
England."  And  then  he  did  a  most  unclerical  thing — 
he  winked. 


CHAPTER   V 

The  "  Crows'  Nest,"  as  Miss  Denison's  home  was  called, 
being  so  far  from  Sydney,  necessitated  Tom  leaving  home 
very  early  for  school.  In  fine  weather  he  invariably 
crossed  the  harbour  in  his  lightly-built,  but  strong 
fourteen-foot  boat,  easy  to  pull  with  sculls  and  a  great 
sailer.  It  often  happened,  however,  especially  during 
the  winter  months,  that  he  had  to  leave  his  boat  in  the 
shed,  and  walk  five  miles,  through  what  was  practically 
"  bush  "  to  the  North  Shore  ferry,  the  steamers  of  which 
plied  between  the  marine  suburb  of  St.  Leonard's  and  the 
Circular  Quay.  This  was  not  at  all  to  his  liking — 
walking  so  far  twice  a  day  not  being  agreeable  to  the  lad 
who  almost  from  his  infancy  had  been  used  to  horses 
and  riding.  But  Miss  Denison  had  a  mortal  terror  of, 
and  objection  to  horses  and  cattle,  and  though  she  was 
compelled  to  tolerate  a  few  cows  for  the  sake  of  their 
milk  and  butter,  she  flatly  refused  to  have  even  a  pony 
kept  for  the  use  of  Tom's  sister,  and  when  the  lady  went 
either  to  St.  Leonard's,  or  to  Sydney,  to  church,  she 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  41 

always  walked,  sending  Tom  and  Sabina  in  front  of  her, 
armed  with  sticks  to  kill  any  snakes — and  there  were 
sometimes  many — that  might  be  lying  on  the  path.  And 
so  Tom,  much  to  his  disgust,  was  now  obliged,  when  he 
could  not  use  his  boat,  to  "  pad  the  hoof,"  as  he  termed 
it,  to  school,  or  at  least,  as  far  as  the  steam  ferry.  But 
now  came  a  surprise  for  him. 


On  the  afternoon  following  the  morning  on  which  the 
old  ship-keeper  had  been  buried,  as  Tom  was  sitting  in 
his  bedroom  feeling  very  miserable  and  despondent, 
Mrs.  Potter  came  to  him  and  said  that  his  aunt  wished 
to  speak  to  him  in  the  dining-room.  She  (Miss  Denison) 
had  not  attended  the  funeral,  but  had,  early  in  the 
morning,  dressed  herself  in  black,  and  had  allowed  all 
the  servants  to  accompany  him  and  Sabina  to  the  little 
cemetery  overlooking  a  great  part  of  the  beautiful 
panorama  of  Sydney  Harbour. 

"  Thomas,"  said  his  aunt  as  he  entered  the  room,  and 
for  the  first  time  in  many  months  she  actually  smiled 
at  him,  "  I  have  decided  to  get  a  pony  for  Sabina,  and 
you  can  buy  it  for  me  in  town  to-morrow." 

"  That  is  kind  of  you,  Aunt.  Sabbie  will  be  delighted. 
Can  I  tell  her  ?  " 

"  No,  let  it  be  a  surprise  for  her," — she  paused  a 
moment — "  and,  Thomas,  I  am  sorry  I  was  so  hasty  the 


42  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

other  day.  Mr.  Cooper  has  told  me  the  cause  of  your 
having  been  out  so  late  ;  I  regret  that  I  did  not  listen  to 
you." 

"  And  I  was  sorry  to  go  out  again,  knowing  that  you 
were  angry  with  me." 

"  Well,  we  were  both  in  error.  Now  what  are  you 
doing  this  afternoon  ?  " 

"  I  should  like  to  go  on  board  the  old  barque,  and  get 
the  new  ship-keeper  to  give  me  the  things  that  Captain 
Ryder  left  me." 

"  Very  well,"  was  the  gracious  remark,  "  but  try  and 
be  punctual  for  dinner,"  and  Tom  went  off,  very  much 
pleased  that  she  had  not  brought  up  the  subject  of  the 
clergyman's  visit.  But  Miss  Denison  meant  to  bide  her 
time  for  renewing  the  attack  upon  Tom's  aversion  to 
going  to  England,  and  although  she  had  at  first  been  very 
angry  when  the  Canon  had  related  all  that  had  passed 
between  Tom  and  himself,  she  had  agreed  not  to  pursue 
the  matter  any  further  till  her  nephew  left  school, 
which  would  be  in  two  months'  time. 

"  Don't  try  and  drive  him,  my  dear  Miss  Denison.  He 
can  be  as  obstinate  as  a  mule — very  like  your  poor 
brother  in  fact — but  if  you  will  yield  to  him  in  some 
things,  you'll  find  him  very  amenable.  And  he  is  by  no 
means  lacking  in  either  respect  or  affection  for  you, 
of  that  I  can  assure  you.  Say  no  more  to  him  on  the 
matter  for  the  next  two  months." 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  43 

"  I  am  afraid  I  do  not  understand  boys,"  confessed 
the  lady,  with  a  faint  smile. 

"  Oh  yes,  you  do,  you  do  ;  but  Tom  is  a  boy  of  boys — 
as  full  of  animal  spirits  as  a  young  colt.  But  he  has 
brains,  Miss  Denison — he  has  brains,  and  will  turn  out 
all  right  in  the  end,  I  am  certain.  He  is  rough,  as  you 
say,  but  he  is  as  straightforward  and  truthful  as  you  are 
yourself,  and  I  am  sure  that  you  will  never  regret  your 
assiduous  care  of  and  solicitude  for  the  lad,"  and  with 
this  artful  compliment,  which  Miss  Denison  thoroughly 
believed,  the  old  gentleman  made  his  escape,  mentally 
registering  a  vow  to  never  again  attempt  to  influence 
Tom  in  regard  to  his  aunt's  cheiished  scheme  of  sending 
him  to  the  Mother  Country. 

Sabbie  met  him  at  the  door.  She  was  a  fair,  delicate 
child,  with  ethereal  blue-grey  eyes,  which  at  times, 
when  she  was  in  thought,  seemed  to  change  their  hue 
into  a  dark  brown.  A  greater  contrast  than  that  which 
existed  between  the  personal  appearance  of  herself  and 
her  dark-faced  brother  could  not  be  imagined. 

"  Has  Aunt  forgiven  Tom,  Mr.  Cooper  ?  "  she  asked 
anxiously. 

"  Quite,  my  dear,  quite,"  and  the  Canon  bent  down 
and  kissed  the  sweet,  serious  little  face. 


Tom  found  the  new  ship-keeper  to  be  a  handsome, 


44  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

stalwart,  and  very  civil  Polynesian  half-caste,  of  about 
five-and-twenty  years  of  age.  He  met  Tom  as  he 
ascended  the  rope-ladder  at  the  waist,  and  lifted  his 
cap  to  him. 

"  Good-day,  sir.  Mr.  Paul  told  me  that  you  might 
come  on  board  to-day.  I  have  taken  Captain  Ryder's 
place.     My  name  is  Jack  Castles." 

Tom  held  out  his  hand,  "  How  do  you  do  ,''  Mr. 
Paul  told  me  about  you,  and  said  that  you  would  not 
mind  my  coming  on  board  the  barque  and  the  other 
vessels,  and  fishing,  and  pottering  about,  and  all  that, 
just  as  I  have  done  for  the  last  two  years,  when  Captain 
Ryder  was  in  charge." 

"  Certainly,  sir.  I  shall  be  very  glad  indeed.  It  will 
be  a  very  lonely  game  here  for  me — taking  care  of  these 
condemned  old  crates." 

"  You  are  lame,  I  see." 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  only  came  out  of  Sydney  Hospital  last 
week.  I  was  second  mate  on  the  old  Coquette,  which 
belongs  to  Potts  and  Paul,  and  was  shot  in  the  foot  at 
the  Solomon  Islands  in  a  trading  cruise.  A  man-of-war 
doctor  did  something  wrong  to  it,  and  so  I  came  to 
Sydney,  as  every  one  said  I  should  have  to  lose  my  leg. 
But  the  hospital  doctors  fixed  me  up,  and  I  shall  be  all 
right  in  a  few  weeks.  Mr.  Paul  came  to  see  me  in  the 
hospital,  and  said  he  would  look  after  me  until  I  was  fit 
to  go  to  sea  again.     Then  Captain  Ryder  died,  and  Mr. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Super  car  go  45 

Paul  said  I  could  have  this  berth.  Will  you  come 
below,  sir,  and  show  me  what  of  Captain  Ryder's  gear 
you  are  taking  away,  so  that  I  can  stow  the  rest  in  his 
chest,  and  send  it  ashore  to  Mr.  Paul's  store." 

Tom  soon  collected  the  few  articles  which  the  old  man 
had  asked  him  to  accept — ^his  nautical  instruments  and 
books,  a  watch  and  chain,  and  a  small  oaken  cabinet, 
filled  to  the  brim  with  all  those  little  odds  and  ends  that 
every  seaman  manages  to  accumulate,  and  never  throws 
away — from  roping-palms  to  broken  knives  and  spare 
watch-glasses,  and  much-soiled  reels  of  cotton,  and  hanks 
of  thread. 

Coming  on  deck,  Tom  placed  his  parcel  on  the  sky- 
light, and  leaning  on  the  rail  looked  at  the  scene  before 
him.  The  little  bay  was  quieter  even  than  usual,  and 
no  sign  of  life  was  visible,  except  a  column  of  pale  blue 
smoke,  ascending  straight  in  air  from  the  barque's 
galley,  where  Castles  was  preparing  his  supper — the 
other  two  ship-keepers  being  asleep  under  the  awnings 
of  their  respective  vessels.  The  water  was  as  smooth  as 
glass,  and  lay  gleaming  like  silver  under  the  still  torrid 
rays  of  the  westering  sun.  Now  and  then  a  leaping  fish 
would  flash  up  like  a  knife  blade,  and  then  fall  back,  send- 
ing out  widening  ripples,  then  again  all  would  be  quiet. 

As  Tom,  with  folded  arms,  leant  upon  the  rail,  Castles 
came  out  of  the  galley,  and  asked  him  if  he  would  have  a 
cup  of  tea,  and  "  a  bit  of  supper  at  six  o'clock  "  f 


46  The  AdvenUires  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Thank  you,  I  will.  Isn't  it  very  calm  and  quiet 
this  afternoon  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  assented  the  sailor,  "  I  suppose  you  know 
the  names  and  stories  of  all  these  old  hookers,  sir  ?  " 
and  he  waved  his  hand  towards  the  silent  ships. 

"  Oh  yes.  I  know  all  about  them,  and  have  been 
over  them  all  dozens  of  times.  This  old  barque,  the 
Simon  Bolivar,  was  once  a  coolie  ship,  and  on  her  last 
voyage  to  Callao  the  coolies  rose  and  murdered  all  the 
officers  and  crew.  If  you  look  about  in  the  cabin,  you 
will  see  scores  of  bullet-holes  in  the  woodwork — the 
captain  and  officers  made  their  last  stand  in  the  cabin, 
but  the  Chinamen  fired  at  them  through  the  skylight, 
until  all  were  killed.  That  dismantled  old  wooden 
paddle-steamer  is  the  Queen  Carolina  ;  she  was  once  a 
Dutch  gunboat,  and  came  to  Sydney  to  be  docked  and 
repaired,  but  it  was  found  it  would  cost  so  much  that  she 
was  sold,  and  her  engines  taken  out  of  her,  and  she  was 
turned  into  a  collier — now  she  is  rotting  away  ;  that  big 
fore  and  aft  schooner,  with  her  lower  masts  painted 
yellow,  is  the  Oscar.  She  was  a  slaver,  and  was  captured 
off  New  Britain  four  years  ago  by  the  Virago,  with  a 
hundred  natives  on  board,  and  her  captain  and  two  mates 
are  now  in  prison.  On  the  voyage  to  Sydney  she  ran 
on  a  reef,  and  hogged  herself,  so  no  one  will  buy  her, 
although  she  is  otherwise  a  beautiful  vessel.  She 
belongs  to  a  parson  in  Sydney ;    at  the  captain's  trial, 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  47 

he  said  he  really  didn't  know  what  the  vessel  had  been 
doing — ^he  left  everything  to  the  captain,  and  he  pre- 
tended to  be  greatly  horrified  at  learning  she  had  been 
*  blackbirding,'  but  the  captain  proved  that  he  knew  all 
about  that,  and  two  other  voyages  as  well. 

"  That  fat-looking,  chunky  brig  with  the  bulging 
quarters,  and  stern  ports,  and  built-up  masts  is  one  of 
the  oldest  vessels  afloat ;  her  name  is  The  Venus,  and 
she  was  built  for  the  Navy  as  a  ten-gun  brig  at  Port 
Royal  in  Jamaica  in  1800,  was  twice  captured  by  the 
French,  and  then  recaptured  ;  then  she  was  turned  into 
a  convict  transport,  and  I  know  a  lot  of  old  convicts 
in  Tasmania,  who  came  out  in  her  from  183 1  to  1838. 
She  has  the  most  lovely  old  cabin — all  mahogany  panel- 
ling, black  with  age.  I  hear  she  has  just  been  sold, 
and  is  to  be  docked  and  rigged,  and  sent  to  Port 
Darwin  as  a  storeship  for  the  Overland  Telegraph 
Company.  And,"  he  added  with  a  sigh,  "  I  shall  miss 
the  poor  old  thing  very  much,  for  just  under  her  stern, 
Captain  Ryder,  the  man  who  is  in  charge  of  her,  and  I 
caught  one  of  the  biggest  sharks  ever  seen  in  Sydney. 
It  was  eighteen  feet  long,  and  as  big  round  the  body  as  a 
bullock.  We  set  a  floating  bait  for  him  with  an  empty 
beef-keg  for  a  drogue,  and  let  it  drift  about  the  cove. 
About  nine  o'clock  at  night,  we  heard  a  fearful  splashing, 
and  saw  that  he  was  hooked,  and  was  careering  around. 
We  yelled  and  shouted  to  the  men  who  live  at  the  sand- 


48  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

stone  quarries  just  over  there  on  the  point,  to  come  over 
in  their  boat  and  help  us.  And  a  nice  time  we  had — it 
took  eleven  of  us  to  get  the  great  brute  into  shallow 
water,  where  Captain  Ryder  and  one  of  the  other  ship- 
keepers  killed  it  with  whaling-lances." 

The  half-caste  listened  with  keen  interest.  "  I  think 
after  all,  I  shall  have  some  fun  here.  I'm  great  on  shark- 
catching,  Mr.  Denison." 

"  So  am  I ;  I  believe  I  have  caught  over  twenty  since 
we  came  here  to  live.  That  is  my  shark  tackle  there, 
in  that  hen  coop.  I  always  keep  it  here.  Do  you 
mind  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,  sir.  Perhaps  we  can  use  it  in  a  day  or 
two." 

"  Of  course.  This  bay  is  full  of  sharks,  especially 
when  the  sea  salmon  come  in — *  tigers,'  and  '  grey 
nurses,' — ^and  even  in  winter  the  ground  sharks  some- 
times come  into  the  Cove." 

The  half-caste  showed  his  white,  even  teeth  in  a 
pleased  smile,  and  then  peering  down  through  the  sky- 
light, looked  at  the  cabin  clock. 

"  Will  you  have  supper  soon,  please  ?  "  and  he  limped 
off  to  the  galley,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  returned  with 
a  tin  dish,  containing  a  great  fried  steak,  with  onions, 
tomatoes,  and  potatoes,  and  a  kettle  of  strong  black 
tea. 

"  I  hope  you  will  come  on   board  to-morrow,   Mr. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  49 

Denison,"  he  said,  as  he  arranged  the  dish  on  the  sky- 
light. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  shall,"  replied  Tom. 


But  the  morrow  was  to  bring  about  a  sudden  severance 
from  the  quiet  little  bay  and  the  sleeping  hulks,  which 
Tom  was  not  to  see  again  for  a  long,  long  time. 


CHAPTER   VI 

The  Manager  of  the  Sydney  "  Tattersall's  "  in  Castle- 
reagh  Street,  was  well  known  to  Tom,  who  on  the  follow- 
ing day  called  at  his  establishment,  eager  to  fulfil  his 
aunt's  commission,  and  was  told,  much  to  his  disappoint- 
ment, that  there  was  not  then  a  suitable  pony  in  the 
stables  for  sale. 

"  But,"  said  Mr.  Cosgrove,  "  I  expect  a  draft  of  saddle 
horses  for  my  next  Saturday's  auction  from  Dr.  Jenkins 
of  Nepean  Towers,  and  I'll  write  and  ask  him  to  send 
down  a  couple  of  well-broken-in  ponies  on  approval." 

"  Unbroken  will  do  as  well,  Mr.  Cosgrove.  In  fact 
I  should  like  to  break-in  the  pony  for  my  sister.  I  have 
plenty  of  spare  time  now  and  will  be  glad  of  having  some- 
thing to  do  with  horses  again." 

Leaving  Tattersall's,  Tom  strolled  about  the  streets 
for  an  hour  or  two,  putting  in  the  time  till  it  was  time  for 
lunch.  He  had  left  home  early  in  the  morning,  and  did 
not  intend  to  return  till  late  in  the  afternoon,  as  he  wished 
to  see  the  Volunteer  Artillery  practice  from  the  forts, 
which  was  to  begin  at  three  o-clock ;    after  lunch  he 

50 


The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercargo  5 1 

meant  to  call  on  his  friend  Captain  Herrera,  who  lived 
at  Dawes  Point,  and  who  was  always  at  home  in  the 
afternoon. 

Entering  Compagnoni's  restaurant  in  Pitt  Street,  he 
took  a  seat,  and  was  scanning  the  menu  card,  when  he 
heard  his  name  called  from  the  other  end  of  the  room. 

"  Hallo,  Denny  !  Come  over  here,  and  feed  with  us," 
cried  a  tall,  stout  lad  about  eighteen,  who  with  three 
other  youths  had  just  come  in,  "  there's  plenty  of  room 
at  this  table." 

The  speaker  was  Tom's  old  antagonist — Sam  Buttle. 
He  seemed  in  high  good  humour,  and  made  room  for 
Tom  next  to  his  own  seat.  He  was  really,  despite  his 
bullying  manner,  and  inordinate  conceit  of  himself,  not 
a  bad-natured  youth,  and  although  Tom  and  he  had 
fought  so  often,  there  was  not  the  slightest  ill-will 
between  them. 

"  Denny,"  he  said  to  Tom,  "  we  are  all  off  for  a  week's 
camp-out  at  Narrabeen  Lagoon,  Will  you  come  with 
us  ?  We  shall  have  a  rattling  good  time,  the  lagoon  is 
fairly  swarming  with  fish,  and  black  duck  as  well.  We 
have  four  guns — I'll  get  another  for  you — any  amount  of 
tucker,  and  a  tent.  We'll  sail  down  to  Manly  in  Jim 
Stannard's  fishing  boat,  and  a  spring  cart  will  be  waiting 
there  to  take  us  to  Narrabeen — it  will  be  moonlight 
after  eleven  and  we'll  jog  along  easy,  and  be  in  camp  by 
daylight." 


52  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Ah,  I  wish  I  could  go,  Sam — it's  just  the  thing  I 
like.  But  I  can't  manage  it.  You  see  I  am  taking  home 
some  stores  this  evening — a  bag  of  flour,  a  bag  of  sugar, 
meat  and  a  case  of  groceries.  But  I  daresay  I  could  join 
you  in  a  day  or  two.     When  do  you  start  ?  " 

"  Seven  o'clock." 

Tom  thought  a  moment.  "  That  is  a  bit  late  for  me 
— ^I  was  thinking  we  might  keep  company  as  far  as  Pinch- 
gut." 

"  Well,  we'll  say  six.     Will  that  do  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  and  thereupon  they  agreed  to  meet  at  the 
Circular  Quay  at  that  hour,  and  start  together.  Lunch 
over,  Tom  set  out  for  Dawes  Point,  intending  to  ask 
Carmen  Herrera  to  come  with  him  to  the  battery  at 
Lady  Macquarie's  Chair,  and  see  the  firing  of  the  old 
muzzle-loading  68-pounder  guns  at  a  floating  target. 

Carmen  opened  the  door  to  him.  She  was  a  handsome 
girl  of  eleven,  tall  for  her  age,  and  her  dark  brown  hair 
fell  in  clustering  ringlets  about  her  shoulders,  according 
to  the  then  prevailing  fashion. 

"  Come  up  stairs,  Tom ;  mother  is  there,  just  writing 
to  your  aunt  to  see  if  Sabbie  can't  come  to  us  for  a  few 
days.  Father  is  asleep  in  the  garden — ^as  usual  after 
lunch." 

Mrs.  Herrera  was  an  English  lady  who  had  married 
Captain  Herrera  in  Spain,  where  she  had  been  governess 
to  an  English  family,  and  she  had  lived  with  him  at 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  53 

Capetown,  and  then  at  Bombay  before  he  was  appointed 
to  Sydney  at  his  especial  request,  for  his  wife's  health 
had  never  been  good  at  either  of  the  former^ places. 
Carmen  had  been  born  in  Sydney,  and  therefore  called 
herself  an  Australian  girl.  Like  her  friend  Tom,  she 
was  fond  of  the  study  of  languages,  and  like  him  also, 
had  taken  all  the  first  and  special  prizes  in  the  Girl's 
School  at  Fort  Street,  much  to  her  father's  and  mother's 
satisfaction,  for  the  family  were  in  poor  circumstances — 
Herrera's  salary  as  Spanish  Consul  being  barely 
sufficient  to  enable  them  to  keep  up  appearances — and 
they  felt  sure  that  Carmen  would  at  least  be  able  to  earn 
her  living  as  a  teacher  of  languages  in  due  course  ;  and 
a  competent  teacher  in  Australia  was  not  paid  the  starvel- 
ing fees  that  were,  in  those  days,  grudgingly  given  to 
governesses  and  male  teachers  in  England. 

Between  Tom  and  her  there  was  a  strong  comrade- 
ship— cemented  by  an  almost  daily  intercourse  for  two 
years  past.     It  began  in  a  very  simple  manner. 

On  the  very  first  day  that  he  went  to  school,  and  was 
leaving  at  half-past  four  to  go  to  his  boat,  which  he  had 
left  at  one  of  the  wharves  on  the  western  side  of  the 
Circular  Quay,  he  noticed  a  little  girl  of  eight  or  nine 
years  of  age  walking  in  front  of  him,  and  concluded  by 
the  satchel  of  books  she  carried  that  she  was  also  a  pupil 
at  Fort  Street.  Just  as  she  was  passing  a  row  of  cottages 
in  Upper  Fort  Street,  she  stooped  down  to  tie  a  boot-lace, 


54  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

and  a  little  white,  curly-haired  French  poodle,  with  the 
usual  bleary  red  eyes,  and  disgusting  appearance 
generally,  darted  out  from  a  doorway,  and  set  its  teeth 
into  the  calf  of  the  child's  white-stockinged  leg.  In 
two  seconds  Tom  had  seized  it  by  the  throat,  and  after 
choking  it  into  insensibility,  he  swung  it  by  the  tail 
against  a  lamp  post,  and  then  with  many  uncompli- 
mentary remarks  threw  the  dead  cur  into  the  house  from 
which  it  had  emerged.  Then  he  bound  up  the  girl's 
bleeding  leg  with  his  handkerchief,  and  took  her  home — 
and  from  then  began  a  very  happy  friendship  with  the 
Herrera  family. 


"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Tom,"  said  Mrs.  Herrera, 
"  you  can  take  my  letter  to  your  aunt  instead  of  my 
posting  it.  Now,  Tom,  I  am  sure  you  want  to  take  Car- 
men to  the  battery — I  can  see  it  in  your  eye.  But  you 
must  not.     It  is  altogether  too  hot,  and  I  am  sure  that  a 

*  southerly  '  is  coming  on." 

"  Oh  no,  not  until  to-morrow,  Mrs.  Herrera,"  said  Tom, 
who  was  fairly  weather-wise,  "  it's  not  hot  enough  for  a 

*  southerly  burster  '  to-day,  is  it,  Carmen  ?  " 

"  Hardly,  I  think,  Tom,"  replied  Carmen  demurely. 

"  Carmen,"  said  her  mother  placidly,  "  go  down- 
stairs and  tell  Florence  to  make  tea.  Tom,  you  are 
not  going  to  take  Carmen  out,  and  bring  her  back  with 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  55 

her  hair  and  eyes  filled  with  '  southerly  burster '  dust. 
Now,  sit  down  and  tell  me  all  about  poor  old  Captain 
Ryder." 

After  staying  for  an  hour  Tom  said  good-bye,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  battery,  where  he  remained  until  four 
o'clock,  watching  the  firing,  then  went  to  the  wharf, 
where  he  kept  his  boat.  The  provisions  he  had  bought 
had  arrived,  and  were  in  the  care  of  the  wharfinger,  who 
helped  him  to  stow  them  in  the  boat.  Besides  the  fresh 
meat  and  provisions,  there  were  some  gardening  tools 
for  the  gardener  at  the  "  Crows'  Nest,"  and  an  awkward 
and  heavy  roll  of  oilcloth,  which  was  too  long  to  be 
stowed  under  the  thwarts,  but  after  some  trouble  it  was 
placed  so  that  it  would  not  interfere  with  the  jib  and 
mainsail,  nor  the  sculls,  if  they  had  to  be  used.  By  the 
time  everything  was  stowed,  Sam  Buttle  and  his  friends 
came  up  in  their  boat. 

"  You  are  not  starting  a  bit  too  soon,"  said  Gable, 
the  wharfinger,  to  Tom.  "  There's  a  heavy  sou'wester 
brewing,  and  you  have  rather  too  much  of  a  load.  I 
think,  after  all,  that  you  had  better  leave  the  oilcloth 
and  tools  behind." 

But  Tom  diflFered  with  him,  both  as  regards  the  south- 
westerly and  the  boat  being  too  deep,  and  so  he  started, 
a  gentle  air  taking  both  boats  out  of  Circular  Quay  as 
far  as  Farm  Cove,  and  then  it  suddenly  fell  calm. 

"  Gable  was  right  after  all,  Sam,"  cried  Tom,  and  he 


56  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

pointed  astern,  "  we  shall  get  it  hot  in  another  ten 
minutes.  You  had  better  reef  down,  Sam,  before  it  is 
too  late,"  and  so  saying,  he  stood  up,  and  unshipped  the 
sprit  of  his  own  sail  from  the  becket,  regretting  now  that 
he  had  disregarded  the  wharfinger's  advice. 

Buttle  and  his  companions  were  some  time  in  reefing 
their  large  sail,  for  curiously  enough  three  out  of  the  four 
lads,  unlike  most  Sydney  boys,  were  not  used  to  boats, 
and  got  in  each  other's  way  to  such  an  extent  that  finally 
Tom  sculled  up  alongside,  and  went  on  board  and  showed 
them  what  to  do.  He  was  not  a  minute  too  soon,  for  it 
was  now  dark,  and  suddenly  a  hot  gust  of  wind  came 
sweeping  down,  and  both  boats  heeled  sharply  over  to  it. 

"  Better  lower  away  the  peak,  Sam,"  shouted  Tom, 
jumping  back  into  his  own  boat,  "  quick,  lower  away, 
or  you  may  lose  your  mast,"  and  as  he  spoke  the  squall 
came  down  upon  them  in  earnest,  and  enveloped  them 
in  thick  blinding  dust,  and  Tom's  little  craft,  heavily 
loaded  as  she  was,  leapt  forward  and  passed  the  other 
boat  in  the  darkness.  The  occupants  had  not  been  quick 
enough  in  lowering  the  peak  of  the  mainsail,  and  they 
were  evidently  in  a  great  muddle  when  Tom  passed  them. 
He  was,  however,  pretty  sure  that  they  would  come  to 
no  harm — the  boat  was  a  centre-board,  of  great  beam, 
like  all  the  Sydney  fishing-boats,  and  unless  they  ran 
her  ashore  in  the  darkness,  they  had  nothing  to  fear. 
But  for  himself  he  did  feel  somewhat  concerned,  for  in 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  57 

ten  minutes  after  losing  sight  of  Buttle  and  his  friends, 
the  violence  of  the  wind  exerting  itself  against  the  strong 
flood  tide,  set  up  a  rough  and  dangerous  sea  for  a  small 
boat,  and  although  he  had  now  taken  in  the  mainsail — 
at  the  imminent  risk  of  broaching  to  and  filling — and  the 
little  craft  was  under  the  jib  only,  she  began  to  take  in 
water  so  much  that  he,  with  one  hand  on  the  tiller, 
could  not  bale  it  out  fast  enough. 

"  Aunt  Christina's  oilcloth  will  have  to  go  to  the 
sharks,"  he  said  to  himself  ;  "  but  how  I  am  going  to  get 
it  overboard  I  don't  know." 

By  this  time  the  darkness  was  intense,  and  although 
he  guessed  that  he  was  now  abreast  of  Sirius  Cove,  he 
had  no  other  course  but  to  run  before  the  storm.  If  he 
could  but  sight  the  lights  of  the  lightship  on  the  Sow  and 
Pigs'  Reef,  he  would  be  able  to  run  the  boat  ashore  on 
the  beach  of  Watson's  Bay.  If  he  missed  seeing  them, 
he  might  drive  through  the  Heads  into  the  open  sea. 

Suddenly,  even  through  the  howling  of  the  wind,  he 
heard  the  sound  of  beating  surf,  and  dimly  discerned 
the  dark  outline  of  Shark  Island  a  few  hundred  yards 
away  on  the  starboard  hand.  Risking  being  swamped, 
he  ran  under  its  lee,  where  there  was  some  shelter  from 
the  wind,  and  then  bringing  to.  Exerting  all  his 
strength,  he  succeeded  in  "  fleeting  "  the  heavy  roll  of 
oilcloth  overboard  into  what  he  hoped  was  shallow 
water,  where  it  might  be  recovered.     Then  as  the  boat 


58  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

pitched  and  tossed,  and  rolled  about,  he  cut  open  the 
3-cwt.  bag  of  flour,  and  began  shovelling  the  contents 
over  the  side  with  the  bailer,  until  it  was  half  empty, 
and  he  was  able  to  pour  out  the  remainder,  and  throw 
away  the  soddened  bag  after  it. 

"  Aunt  Christina  will  break  her  heart  over  this,"  he 
thought,  as  he  took  up  the  light  sculls,  determined,  now 
that  there  was  no  more  water  coming  inboard,  to  try 
and  get  on  shore  on  the  lee-side  of  the  rock-bound  island 
— a  tiny  spot  of  about  three  acres  in  extent.  Bending 
forward,  he  plunged  the  sculls  into  the  water,  and,  at  the 
first  stroke,  one  broke  in  halves. 

"  There,  I'm  done  for  now — unless  I  can  anchor." 

He  went  for'ard  and  dropped  his  kellick  and  line  of 
ten  fathoms  in  the  hope  that  it  might  touch  and  catch 
bottom.  It  hung  straight  up  and  down,  and,  with  some 
expressions  of  disgust  hauling  it  up  again,  he  went  aft, 
and  headed  the  boat  for  Watson's  Bay,  or  rather  for 
where  he  thought  Watson's  Bay  lay. 

Lightened  by  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  ton,  the  boat,  as 
jjhe  sped  before  the  storm  under  her  jib  only,  now  took 
in  no  more  water,  and  Tom  felt  very  pleased  when  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  later  he  discerned  the  swaying  green, 
red,  and  white  lights  of  the  lightship  on  the  Sow  and 
Pigs'  Reef,  and  altered  his  course. 

"  I  am  all  right  now,"  he  said  to  himself,  and  he  headed 
for  the  lights,  little  knowing  that  the  Bramble,  an  old 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  59 

ex-ten-gun  brig  of  Her  Majesty's  Navy,  which  had  been 
condemned,  after  many  years  of  service,  to  illuminate 
the  Sow  and  Pigs'  Reef,  had  just  then  parted  her  moor- 
ings, and  was  being  blown  out  through  Sydney  Heads 
into  the  wide  Pacific. 


CHAPTER  VII 

"  Hullo  !  what  is  the  matter  with  the  lightship  ?  " 
cried  Tom,  as  suddenly  from  her  deck  a  rocket  shot  up 
in  the  air,  and  then  a  blue  light  was  burnt ;  the  ghastly 
glare  of  the  latter  soon  showed  him  what  had  happened 
— ^the  Bramble  was  adrift,  and  was  signalling  for  assist- 
ance to  the  pilot  steamer,  Captain  Cook,  which  was 
always  stationed  with  steam  up  at  Watson's  Bay,  just 
inside  the  Inner  South  Head.  In  a  few  seconds  an  answer- 
ing rocket  made  a  red,  curved  line  of  fire  through  the 
blackness,  and  then,  as  Tom  noticed  the  direction  from 
which  it  came,  a  sudden  fear  smote  him  as  the  startling 
fact  was  borne  in  upon  him  that  he  must  be  right  in  mid- 
channel,  and  in  half-an-hour  would  be  between  Sydney 
Heads. 

To  reach  Watson's  Bay  beach  now  was  impossible, 
for  he  was  abreast  of  it,  and  had  only  one  scull ;  to  make 
sail  on  the  boat  and  try  to  beat  up  to  it  in  such  a  sea 
meant  capsizing  in  a  few  minutes,  and  to  bear  away  to 
port  meant  being  dashed  to  death  against  the  great  grim 
cliff  of  North  Head. 

60 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  6 1 

"  I  must  stick  to  the  boat,"  he  thought  somewhat 
despairingly,  knowing  what  a  heavy  sea  he  would  en- 
counter a  little  further  on. 

Then  another  blue  light  was  burned  by  the  lightship, 
and  answered  by  a  second  rocket  from  the  steamer,  now 
hastening  to  her  assistance  ;  and  Tom's  spirits  rose. 
The  pilot  steamer  would  pass  pretty  close  to  him,  and 
would  very  likely  see  him,  and  every  now  and  then  he 
glanced  astern  in  the  hope  of  seeing  her  lights  ;  then  he 
had  to  give  his  attention  to  his  steering,  for  now  the  boat 
was  rising  and  falling  to  the  rollers  of  the  Pacific,  as 
they  came  sweeping  in  through  the  Heads. 

Ten  anxious  minutes  passed,  and  then  he  saw  the 
steamer's  mast-head  light  shining  through  the  inky 
darkness  ;  but  alas  !  she  was  half  a  mile  away,  and  was 
steaming  straight  for  North  Head,  towards  which  the 
Bramble  was  drifting,  and  then  Tom's  heart  sank  within 
him. 

Every  now  and  then  the  great  flashlight  on  Outer 
South  Head  would  send  a  streak  of  white  across  the 
tumbling  blackness  between  the  Heads,  but  he  had  but 
little  hope  of  its  rays  revealing  the  boat  to  human  eyes, 
except  that  by  some  luck  the  look-out  on  some  in- 
coming steamer  should  see  it.  He  prayed  silently  for 
succour,  and  then,  as  if  in  response  to  his  appeal  to  the 
Power  above,  there  came  a  gradual,  but  nevertheless 
unmistakable  lull  in  the  force  of  the  wind,  and  he  thought 


62  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

no  longer  of  possible  help  from  the  pilot  steamer,  but 
kept  steadily  on,  steering  very  carefully,  and  keeping  a 
sharp  look-out  for  any  light  ahead. 

By  the  time  the  boat  was  fairly  outside  the  Heads 
and  on  the  Pacific,  the  wind  had  decreased  so  much  that 
he  was  able  to  bring  to,  bail  out,  and  take  a  drink  of 
water.  Then  he  considered  what  was  the  best  course  to 
be  pursued. 

Three  miles  south  of  North  Head  there  was,  he  knew, 
a  little  cove  called  Blue  Fish  Bay,  which  was  well  shelter- 
ed from  any  winds  except  northerly  and  easterly,  and 
there  he  could  safely  anchor  till  daylight.  The  moon, 
he  was  aware,  would  rise  about  eleven  ;  and,  looking 
at  his  watch,  he  saw  that  it  was  within  ten  minutes  of 
that  time. 

After  re-stowing  the  boat,  he  set  the  mainsail  again, 
and  then  stood  along,  as  close  as  he  dared,  to  the  steep-to 
cliffs  of  the  northern  shore,  for  he  was  determined  not  to 
be  carried  too  far  off  the  land  if  he  could  possibly  avoid 
it.  At  last  the  moon  rose,  and  revealed  the  high  walls 
of  rock  close  to  on  the  port  hand,  with  the  heavy  breakers 
thundering  at  their  base  ;  and  he  edged  away  a  little, 
fearful  of  being  carried  in  too  close.  And  to  be  caught 
by  one  of  those  mighty  rollers,  or  by  its  back-wash,  and 
capsized  or  swamped,  meant  one  of  two  deaths — being 
dashed  to  pieces  against  the  grim  cliffs,  or  by  the  jaws 
of  the  great  "  grey  nurse  "  sharks  that  cruised  to  and 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  63 

fro,  day  and  night,  just  outside  the  break  of  the  surf. 

Suddenly  he  heard,  between  the  thunderings  of  the 
surf,  a  hoarse,  humming  sound,  and  looking  astern,  he 
saw  the  lights  of  a  steamer,  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away. 
She  had  stopped,  and  under  the  now  bright  moonlight 
Tom  saw  that  she  was  blowing  off  steam  at  a  furious 
rate.  No  lights  were  visible,  but  from  her  stern  was 
arising  some  thin  yellowish  smoke. 

"  She  must  be  on  fire,"  he  thought,  and  on  the  impulse 
of  the  moment  he  headed  towards  her,  and  was  soon 
alongside. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  cried  a  gruff  voice  from  the 
bridge. 

"  Nothing,  only  came  to  see  what  was  the  matter," 
and  then  he  asked  if  the  ship  was  on  fire. 

"  She  was,"  was  the  reply,  after  a  little  pause,  and  the 
speaker  leant  over  the  bridge,  and  scanned  Tom,  "  what 
are  you  doing  out  here  in  that  cockleshell,  youngster  ?  " 

Tom  hurriedly  told  him  what  had  occurred. 

"  Come  on  board,"  and  then  a  line  was  thrown  to 
him,  and  Tom,  jumping  up  on  the  sponson  on  the  port 
side,  clambered  over  the  bulwarks  on  deck. 

"  Come  up  here,  youngster,"  said  the  voice  from  the 
bridge,  and  Tom  obeyed,  and  found  himself  face  to  face 
with  an  enormously  tall  and  fat  man,  with  a  clean- 
shaven face,  who  shook  hands  with  him. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,"  he  said,  with  apparent  good 


64  The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercargo 

humour,  "  a  steam-pipe  has  burst,  and  M^e  have  had  to 
draw  the  fires,  and  the  steward  upset  a  lamp  in  the  cabin 
a  little  while  ago,  and  all  but  set  the  ship  afire  aft. 
But  we  have  put  it  out  now,  and  as  soon  as  the  engineers 
have  repaired  the  steam-pipe,  I'll  turn  round  for  Sydney 
again,  and  you  can  come  with  us.  That  seems  a  smart 
little  boat  of  yours." 

"  Yes,  sir.  She  was  built  by  Looke  of  Balmain,  and 
cost  nearly  fifty  pounds.  She  is  beautifully  fitted  up 
and  rigged." 

"  Ah,  well,  I'll  have  her  hoisted  in,"  and  leaning  over 
the  bridge  he  called  out. 

"  Bos'un,  hoist  that  boat  aboard.  We'll  take  her 
and  this  young  gentleman  back  to  Sydney.  He  was 
blown  out  to  sea." 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  was  the  reply,  and  then  to  Tom's 
intense  satisfaction,  the  boat  was  hoisted  up  and  lowered 
on  the  fore-deck. 

"  There,  my  young  friend,"  said  the  big  man,  affably 
placing  his  great  hand  on  Tom's  shoulder,  "  there  is 
your  boat  all  safe  and  sound,  and  you  need  not  worry 
about  her.  Now  come  into  my  cabin  and  have  a  tumbler 
of  hot  wine  to  warm  you  up.  Then  you  had  better  turn 
in  and  get  some  rest.  The  engineers  won't  have  that 
steam-pipe  fixed  for  the  next  three  hours  or  so,  and  no 
one  will  disturb  you  in  my  cabin." 

Tom  followed  him  down  the  bridge  to  his  cabin,  which 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  65 

was  on  the  after-deck,  and  eagerly  drank  a  tumblerful 
of  hot  red  wine,  which  a  steward  brought  to  him  a  few 
minutes  later.  Then,  at  the  captain's  request,  he  related 
his  adventures  since  six  o'clock  that  evening,  and  added 
that  he  hoped  his  aunt  and  sister  would  think  that  he 
was  still  in  Sydney,  having  decided  to  remain  there  all 
night  on  account  of  the  "  southerly  "  lasting  so  long. 

The  big  man  nodded  and  lit  a  cigar,  "  Oh  well,  Miss, 
Miss — ^what  is  the  lady's  name  ?  " 

"  Denison — she  is  my  father's  sister.  We  live  at 
*  Crows'  Nest  '  over  Sirius  Cove." 

"  Miss  Denison  will  soon  be  satisfied  that  you  are  all 
right.     But  you  have  had  a  narrow  squeak." 

"  Yes,  and  I  was  thinking  only  just  now  that  perhaps 
after  all,  I  might  not  have  been  able  to  anchor  in  Blue 
Fish  Bay.  I  have  only  ten  fathoms  of  kellick  line,  and 
the  water  is  quite  that  depth,  even  close  in  to  the  rocks." 

"  Just  so.  But  it  is  an  ill  wind  that  blows  no  one  any 
good — if  we  had  not  burst  a  steam-pipe  and  had  to  stop, 
you  might  have  anchored  at  Blue  Fish,  and  lost  your  boat 
— perhaps  your  life  as  well.  Now  I  must  go  and  see  the 
engineers.  But  I  see  you  are  wet  through."  He 
touched  the  bell,  and  a  man  appeared.  He  was  most 
unlike  the  usual  steward,  being  dressed  like  an  ordinary 
seaman,  with  the  addition  of  sea-boots. 

"  Sam,  can't  you  get  this  young  gentleman  a  change  of 
clothes  from  some  one  ?  " 

5 


66  The  Adventures  of  a  Sup ercarg o 

"  Certainly,  sir.  Frank  has  plenty.  And  pyjamas 
too,  sir  ?  "  and  he  looked  enquiringly  at  Tom. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Tom,  "  I'll  be  glad  of  the  pyjamas, 
my  own  clothes  will  be  nearly  dry  by  the  time  I  am  ready 
to  go  on  shore  again." 

"  Just  so,"  said  the  captain,  stroking  his  fat  chin, 
"  pyjamas,  Sam.  And  bring  some  more  hot  wine  for 
Mr.  Denison." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  sir,"  said  Tom  to  the  captain, 
as  a  few  minutes  later  the  steward  appeared  with  the 
wine  and  a  clean  suit  of  pyjamas,  "  what  is  the  name  of 
this  steamer,  sir  ?  " 

The  big  man  had  a  sudden  fit  of  coughing,  and  for  a 
quarter  of  a  minute  seemed  to  lose  his  breath. 

"  Confound  it,"  he  gasped  at  last,  "  I  chewed  a  bit  of 
the  end  of  my  cigar,  and  it  nearly  choked  me,  oh,  this  is 
the  Warrigal^  Sydney  to  Arakoon  River — up  the  coast 
to  the  northward,  you  know." 

"  Oh  yes,"  said  Tom  somewhat  sleepily,  "  I  know 
where  the  Arakoon  is,  I  should  very  much  like  to  go 
there  some  day — ^it's  just  on  the  Queensland  border, 
isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  just  on  the  border,"  replied  the  captain,  as 
he  rose,  "  fine  river,  but  a  very  bad  bar.  Now,  good- 
night." 

Ten  minutes  later,  when  Tom  was  sound  asleep,  the 
skipper  re-entered  his  cabin,  looked  intently  at  the  slum- 


The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercargo  67 

bering  youth  with  a  not  unkindly  expression,  and  then 
turning  out  the  light,  went  on  to  the  bridge  again,  and 
whistled  down  to  the  engine-room. 

"  How  much  longer  are  you  going  to  be,  Clancy  ? 
In  God's  name  hurry  up,"  and  then  he  paced  angrily 
to  and  fro  on  the  bridge. 

Two  minutes  later  the  chief  engineer  ascended  to  the 
bridge. 

"  We  can  start  in  another  twenty  minutes,  and  then 
I'll  drive  her  for  all  she's  worth.  Does  that  satisfy 
you  ?  " 

"  It  must.  But  we  have  had  a  narrow  shave.  Only 
for  the  old  Bramble  breaking  away  from  her  moorings 
as  this  youngster  told  me,  and  as  I  had  imagined  was  the 
case,  we  should  have  been  collared  by  the  Captain  Cook^ 
which  can  steam  two  knots  quicker  than  we  can.  But 
hurry,  Clancy,  hurry." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  passed,  and  then  the  paddle- 
wheels  of  the  Warrigal  began  to  revolve,  and  the  big 
man,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  turned  to  the  sailor  at  the 
wheel. 

"  East  by  north." 
"  East  by  north,  sir." 

But  presently  the  engine  stopped.  Then  once  more 
the  captain  whistled  down  the  tube  for  the  chief  engineer 
to  come  on  deck. 

"  What  is  wrong  ?  "  he  asked.     "  Rush  her,  Clancy. 


68  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

Try  and  get  thirteen  knots  out  of  her.     We  must  be 
fifty  miles  away  by  daylight,  or  the  game  is  up." 

"  Oh,  well  we  are  all  right,  and  can  start  in  earnest 
now  very  soon.     Don't  wear  out  your  soul-case." 


CHAPTER   VIII 

For  some  minutes  after  the  engineer  left  him,  the  captain 
restlessly  paced  to  and  fro  on  the  bridge,  anxiously 
scanning  the  surface  of  the  ocean,  especially  in  the 
direction  of  Sydney  Heads.  There  was,  however, 
nothing  in  sight,  except  a  schnapper-fishing  boat  coming 
from  the  fishing  grounds  off  Barrenjoey  Reef,  and  bound 
for  Sydney.  She  was  then  about  a  mile  distant,  and  a 
light  north-east  breeze  which  had  now  sprung  up  was 
bringing  her  towards  the  steamer,  which  lay  directly  in 
her  course. 

"  For'ard  there,"  cried  the  captain  suddenly  to  the 
lookout,  "  come  up  here  on  the  bridge." 

The  man  obeyed,  and  the  skipper  pointed  to  the  boat. 

"  Rockett,  you  see  that  boat  there.     Keep  your  eye  on 

her  whilst  I  write  a  letter.     It  won't  take  me  ten  minutes, 

but  don't  let  her  pass.     Hail  her  if  I  am  not  here,  and 

tell  them  I  will  give  them  five  sovereigns  to  take  a  letter 

to  Sydney  for  me.     But  don't  let  any  of  them  come 

aboard,  savee" 

69 


70  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Right  you  are,"  replied  the  man  with  an  easy 
familiarity  that  the  commander  of  the  Warrigal  did  not 
seem  to  resent  in  the  slightest.  In  another  minute  he 
was  again  in  his  cabin,  and,  lighting  the  lamp,  busily 
engaged  in  hurriedly  writing  a  short  note,  the  contents  of 
which  would  have  filled  Tom  with  the  most  unbounded 
astonishment  had  he  read  the  lines. 

J*;./'  Madam, — Your  nephew  was  last  night  blown  out  to 
sea  in  the  southerly,  and  had  a  very  narrow  escape  from 
death.  He  is  now  sound  asleep  in  my  berth,  and  his 
boat  is  on  board  my  vessel.  I  regret  that  certain  cir- 
cumstances (into  which  I  cannot  now  enter)  absolutely 
prevent  me  from  letting  him  return  to  Sydney,  and  I 
shall  have  to  keep  him  with  me  for  perhaps  several 
weeks,  or  even  months.  But  I  assure  you  most  solemnly 
that  he  shall  be  treated  well,  and  will  not  be  any  the 
worse  for  having  fallen  in  with  me.  Only  the  sternest 
necessity  compels  me  to  act  as  I  do,  and  I  entreat  you  to 
believe  me  that  the  lad  shall  come  to  no  harm.  I  can 
assure  you  that  I  thoroughly  realise  the  distress  I  am 
causing  you  and  the  lad's  sister,  but  necessity  knows  no 
law, — I  am.  Madam,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  James  Christie. 

"  P.S.  If  you  will  read  the  Sydney  papers  of  to-day, 
you  will  gain  an  idea  of  the  cause  of  my  conduct." 

Closing  the  letter,  he  addressed  it  to  "  Miss  Denison, 
*  Crows'  Nest ',  Sirius  Cove,"  and  marked  it  "  urgent," 
and  then  putting  out  the  light  again,  returned  to  the 
bridge.  The  boat  was  now  within  hailing  distance,  and 
in  response  to  his  call  came  alongside. 

"  Had  a  good  catch,  boys  ?  "  he  asked. 


The  Adventtires  of  a  Supercargo  7 1 

"  No,"  was  the  reply  of  one  of  the  men,  who  added 
some  very  lurid  observations  about  the  "  southerly 
burster,"  having  split  the  mainsail,  and  nearly  driven 
the  boat  on  Barrenjoey  Reef. 

"  What  is  your  catch  worth  ?  " 

"  You  can  have  it  for  a  quid  (J^i) — seven  schnapper  and 
half  a  dozen  bream." 

"  Very  well,  pass  'em  up  ;  now,  see  here,  boys  ;  if 
you'll  take  a  letter  ashore  for  me  straightaway  I'll  give 
you  five  sovereigns.  But  it  is  important,  very  im- 
portant. Do  you  know  Miss  Denison's  place  at  Sirius 
Cove  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  take  this  letter  to  her  as  quick  as  you  can. 
With  this  breeze,  light  as  it  is,  you'll  get  there  by  day- 
light." 

"  Right  you  are,  skipper.  We  won't  fail  you,"  said 
the  man,  as  the  letter  and  six  sovereigns  were  passed 
down  into  the  boat.  "  What's  the  matter  with  the 
steamer  f  " 

"  Oh,  nothing  much — ^burst  a  steam-pipe.  Now 
sheer  off,  lads,  as  we  are  ready  to  start  again." 

The  boat,  with  its  now  exceedingly  contented  crew  of 
three  men,  veered  astern,  and  a  few  minutes  later  word 
was  sent  up  from  the  engine-room  that  the  repairs  had 
been  effected. 

The  big  man  again  heaved  a  sigE  of  satisfaction,  as 


72  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

he  seized  the  handle  of  the  engine-room  telegraph,  and 
rang  down,  "  Full-speed  ahead." 

And  as  Tom,  under  the  effects  of  the  "  red  wine  " 
which  had  so  kindly  been  given  him,  was  sleeping  heavily, 
the  steamer's  paddles  once  more  ploughed  up  the  water, 
and  she  headed  to  the  east,  away  from  the  land. 


When  the  red  sun  shot  up,  and  illumined  a  sea  that  was 
almost  as  calm  as  a  mountain  tarn,  the  steamer  was 
twenty  leagues  from  the  coast  of  Australia,  and  was  being 
driven  at  her  utmost  speed,  when  the  man  Clancy  again 
appeared  on  the  bridge,  followed  by  a  sailor  carrying  two 
large  mugs  of  steaming  coffee,  and  a  plate  of  biscuits  for 
the  captain  and  himself.  He  was  hot  and  tired,  and 
threw  himself  wearily  into  a  seat. 

"  We  must  slow  down,  Jim,"  he  said  to  the  captain, 
"  I'm  done  up,  and  so  are  the  other  two." 

The  captain  nodded,  went  to  the  telegraph,  and  rang 
"  half-speed."  He  had  himself  been  doing  two  hours' 
stoking,  and  was  almost  as  tired,  and  quite  as  dirty  in 
his  appearance  as  Clancy. 

"  Tell  Frank  and  the  bos'un  to  hurry  up  with  their 
coffee,  Sam,  and  they  and  you  can  take  a  turn  in  the 
stokehole  for  half  an  hour.  Tell  the  chaps  that  we  are 
only  running  at  half-speed  for  the  next  hour  or  two.  Who 
is  in  the  engine-room,  Clancy  ?  " 


The  Adventures  of  a  Sufer  car  go  73 

"  The  little  red-headed  fellow,  and  the  Savage  Island 
boy.  They'll  do  all  right  for  half  an  hour.  Nothing  in 
sight,  is  there  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  and  the  captain  swept  the  skyline  astern 
with  his  glasses — he  had  nothing  to  fear  from  anything 
that  might  be  sighted  ahead — "  and  after  the  way  we 
have  been  skipping  along  for  the  last  four  hours,  I  don't 
believe  there's  anything  in  Sydney  Harbour  which  could 
catch  up  to  us." 

"  I'm  dead  certain  there  is  not.  The  Cook  might,  in  a 
long  chase,  as  she  can  do  fifteen,  but  then  she  never  has 
more  than  two  or  three  days'  coal  in  her  bunkers.  As 
for  the  Challenger  and  the  old  Esk^  they  can  neither  of 
them  do  more  than  ten,  and  their  fires  would  be  out  in 
any  case."  (he  was  speaking  of  the  two  war-ships 
lying  in  Farm  Cove — the  commodore's  ship,  the  Challen- 
ger^ and  a  paddle-wheel  gunboat,  the  Esk^ 

The  captain  nodded  as  he  sipped  his  coffee,  then  he 
put  down  the  mug,  and  asked  his  companion  to  take  the 
wheel. 

"  I  must  go  and  see  our  young  friend,  Clancy — and  I 
don't  half  like  it,  I  can  tell  you.  But  the  sooner  he 
knows  the  better." 

Descending  the  bridge,  he  went  aft  to  his  cabin,  and 
opened  the  door.  Tom  was  still  asleep,  but  quickly 
awakened  when  the  captain  spoke  to  him  and  asked 
him  to  dress. 


74  The  Adventures  of  a  Swpercargo 

"  There  are  your  own  clothes,  my  lad,"  he  said, 
pleasantly,  pointing  to  Tom's  garments,  which  had  been 
dried,  and  placed  beside  him. 

"  Are  we  not  in  Sydney  yet  \  "  asked  Tom,  as  he 
sprang  from  the  bunk  and  began  to  dress.  "  Why,  I 
thought  I  could  hear  the  engines  going  about  three 
o'clock.  I  could  see  the  time  of  my  watch  by  the  moon- 
light, but  I  was  too  sleepy  to  come  on  deck  and  see 
where  we  were." 

The  man  made  no  answer  for  a  few  moments.  He 
was  thinking  of  what  he  should  say,  and  how  he  should 
say  it  to  the  unsuspecting  lad.  But  James  Christie  was 
a  man  who  was  quick  to  decide  and  act  when  emergency 
demanded  it,  and  he  determined  to,  in  a  measure,  take 
Tom  into  his  confidence,  and  tell  him  a  certain  part  of 
the  truth.  So  he  waited  until  he  was  dressed  and  ready 
to  come  out  on  deck. 

"  Sit  down  again,  my  lad.  I  have  something  very 
serious  to  tell  you — something  that  will  give  you  great 
distress.     This  steamer  is  not  going  back  to  Sydney." 

Tom's  face  clouded  with  disappointment,  and  his 
thoughts  flew  at  once  to  those  at  home  at  "  Crows' 
Nest."  Then  he  raised  a  faint  smile.  "  I'm  sorry  to 
hear  this,  sir.  My  poor  aunt  and  sister  will,  of  course, 
think  that  I  am  drowned.  I  am  sorry  now  that  I  came 
alongside." 

"  So  am  I,"  said  Christie  quickly,  "  but  I  am  glad  to 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  75 

tell  you  that  by  this  time  your  aunt  and  sister  know  that 
you  are  safe  and  well." 

Tom  gazed  at  him  wonderingly,  and  he  saw  the  man's 
face  flush  scarlet. 

"  When  you  were  asleep  I  spoke  a  fishing  boat,  and 
wrote  a  letter  to  your  aunt,  telling  her  what  had  happen- 
ed to  you,  and  that  you  were  safe  on  board  this  steamer. 
The  fishermen  promised  me — I  gave  them  five  sovereigns 
— to  put  that  letter  in  your  aunt's  hands  as  quickly  as 
possible.  And  as  a  breeze  had  sprung  up  they  must  have 
reached  Sirius  Cove  not  later  than  four  o'clock  this 
morning." 

"  But — but,  sir,  I  don't  quite  understand,"  and  Tom 
brushed  back  his  hair  with  his  hand.  "  Why  did  you 
not  rouse  me,  and  send  me  ashore  with  the  fishermen  ? 
It  will  be  a  fortnight  before  this  steamer  gets  back  to 
Sydney  from  the  Arakoon." 

This  remark  gave  Christie  an  easier  and  better  opening 
for  telling  some  of  the  truth  than  he  had  thought  would 
be  afforded  him. 

"  Come  on  deck,  and  I  will  tell  you." 

Tom  followed  him  to  the  bridge,  and  as  they  passed 
Clancy  at  the  wheel,  he  saw  by  the  compass  that  the 
steamer  was  steering  east  by  north,  and  then  turning  on 
his  heel,  and  looking  astern,  he  saw  nothing  but  the 
boundless  ocean — there  was  no  land  in  sight  ! 

"  Sit  down  there,  please,"  said  Christie,  pointing  to  a 


76  Th e  Adv entures  of  a  Sup ercarg o 

seat  on  the  starboard  side  of  the  bridge,  and,  taking  one 
himself,  he  drew  it  near  to  Tom,  and  placed  his  hand  on 
the  lad's  knee. 

"  My  lad,  this  steamer  is  the  Warrigal,  as  I  told  you, 
but  I  am  going  to  give  her  another  name.  Now,  I'll 
tell  you  why  I  put  something  into  your  wine  to  make  you 
sleep  soundly.  I,  and  some  friends  of  mine  collared  her 
last  night,  and  are  running  away  with  her — ^piracy,  rank 
piracy.     Do  you  know  what  that  means  ?  " 

Tom  threw  away  his  hand  contemptuously,  and  then 
turned  upon  the  big  man,  his  eyes  blazing  with  anger. 

"  Why  could  you  not  let  me  go  on  shore,  either  in  my 
own  or  the  fishermen's  boat  ?  You  great  hulking  beast ! 
I  suppose  you  mean  to  try  and  turn  me  into  a  cabin  boy 
or  an  engine-room  greaser.  But  you  won't,  you  treacher- 
ous, fat-faced  hound  !  " 

"  Stop  that,  ye  young  ass,"  cried  Clancy  from  the 
wheel,  "  or  maybe  ye'll  not  be  as  kindly  trated  as  we 
mane  yez  to  be." 

"  You  dirty  Irish  ruffian,"  was  Tom's  passionate 
response,  "  I've  seen  a  lot  of  your  breed  in  Tasmania — 
in  the  chain-gangs  !  " 

The  Irishman,  with  blazing  eyes,  let  go  the  wheel 
and  sprang  at  him,  but  Christie  gripped  him  by  both 
wrists  and  forced  him  back  to  the  port  side  of  the  bridge 
away  from  Tom. 

"  Don't  you  dare  to  raise  your  hand  to  the  boy. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  yj 

Terence  Clancy ;  if  you  do,  I'll  pound  you  into  a  pulp, 
old  mates  as  we  are.     Man,  you  forget  yourself." 

"  Did  ye  hear  what  he  said  about  the  chain-gangs 
and  Tasmania,"  said  Clancy  fiercely. 

"  I  did.  And  I  thought  of  what  you  did  not  know — 
that  his  father  was  always  a  good  friend  to  any  of  the 
prisoners  from  the  ould  sod." 

"  Then  God  forgive  me,"  said  Clancy,  and  he  came 
up  to  Tom  with  outstretched  hand. 

"  I  don't  want  to  touch  your  dirty  paw.  I  won't 
shake  hands  with  kidnappers  and  pirates.  You  are  a 
pair  of  scoundrels,  and  if  you  think  you  are  going  to 
*  haze  '  me,  you  are  mistaken.  I  am  not  such  a  fool  as 
I  may  look." 

Christie  could  not  suppress  a  start  of  astonishment 
at  the  word  "  haze.  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  talking  about  *  hazing  '  ?  " 
he  said  with  pretended  roughness,  "  I  told  you  that  you 
would  be  well  treated.  Get  off  the  bridge,  and  out  of 
the  way,  and  go  into  my  cabin  or  the  main  saloon,  and 
wait  until  some  breakfast  is  brought  to  you." 

"  I  won't  take  breakfast  in  your  cabin,  you  hulking 
thief,"  said  Tom  sullenly,  as  he  turned  away. 

Christie  made  no  answer.  He  turned  aside  to  the 
starboard  rail  of  the  bridge,  and  leaning  over  it,  gazed 
moodily  down  into  the  swaying  curves  abreast  of  the 
sponson. 


78  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Jim  ?  "  said  Clancy,  after  a  few 
minutes. 

"  Nothing,  Terence  ;  but  that  youngster  has  upset  me 
a  bit — a  considerable  large  bit — and  we  shall  have 
trouble  with  him." 

"  A  bit  av  a  taste  av  a  rope's  ind " 

"  Stow  that,"  and  he  turned  fiercely  upon  the  engineer, 
and  pushed  him  away  from  the  wheel,  "  the  first  man 
who  touches  him  with  a  rope's  end,  or  anything  else, 
won't  forget  it.  And  I'm  boss  of  this  rackett,  Clancy. 
Do  you  understand  ?  If  you  don't,  you  had  better 
learn  it  '  rightaway,'  as  the  Yankees  say." 

"  It's  some  breakfast  ye're  wantin',  Jim,"  said  Clancy, 
as  he  turned  aside  with  a  good-humoured  smile,  and  left 
Christie  alone  on  the  bridge. 


CHAPTER   IX 

Eight  bells  had  just  struck,  and  as  Tom  was  leaning 
over  the  stern  rail,  gazing  moodily  at  the  steamers' 
boiling  wake,  his  name  was  called. 

"  Will  you  come  to  breakfast,  sir  ?     It  is  ready," 

The  speaker  was  a  young  seaman  of  about  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  with  a  rather  prepossessing  countenance, 
and  he  spoke  very  civilly.  At  first  Tom  was  about  to 
decline,  but  then  thought  it  would  not  improve  matters 
by  refusing  to  have  any  breakfast,  so  he  followed  the 
man  below,  and  for  the  first  time  entered  the  saloon, 
which  was  large  and  handsomely  fitted  up.  Only  the 
after  end  of  the  table  was  laid  for  four  persons  ;  and 
presently  Christie,  Clancy,  and  another  man,  whom 
Tom  recognised  as  the  boatswain,  appeared. 

"  Will  you  take  this  seat,  Mr.  Denison  ?  "  said  the 
captain,  politely  indicating  one  of  the  revolving  chairs, 
"  You  must  be  hungry." 

"  Yes,  I  am,  or  else  I  should  not  have  felt  inclined 

to  come,"  was  the  blunt  reply. 

Christie  laughed — somewhat  strainedly.     "  Ah,  well, 
79 


8o  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

try  and  make  yourself  as  comfortable  as  you  can. 
Frank,"  and  he  turned  to  the  man  who  had  called  Tom  to 
breakfast,  "  which  is  the  best  of  the  staterooms  ?  " 

"  Number  seven,  sir." 

"  Well,  that  will  be  Mr.  Denison's  as  long  as  he  is 
with  us.     Fix  it  up  for  him  properly." 

"  It  is  quite  ready,  sir." 

"  I  am  obliged  to  you,"  said  Tom,  whose  indignation 
was  fast  vanishing  under  the  aroma  of  beefsteak  and 
onions,  to  which  he  was  liberally  assisted  by  the  captain ; 
and  so  the  meal  began,  all  who  partook  of  it  eating  as 
heartily  as  Tom  himself,  and  losing  no  time  in  con- 
versation. 

The  captain  was  the  first  to  finish,  and  leave  the  table, 
and  as  he  rose,  he  asked  Tom  to  come  to  him  on  the 
bridge  as  soon  as  he  could. 

"  All  right,  sir,"  said  Tom,  who  was  now  beginning 
to  feel  assured  that  he  should  meet  with  no  injury  from 
any  one  on  board — not  even  from  Clancy,  who  sat 
opposite  to  him,  and  who  continued  to  press  him  to  eat. 

The  boatswain  was  the  next  to  leave,  and  then  Clancy, 
whilst  the  steward  was  out  of  hearing,  leant  across  the 
table  and  said  : 

"  I'm  wantin'  to  tell  ye  it's  sorry  I  am  fur  losin'  me 
temper." 

Tom  could  not  refuse  such  an  amende  honorable. 

"  And  I'm  sorry  for  what  I  said  about  Irishmen  and 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  8l 

the  chain-gangs  in  Tasmania.  You  see,  although  my 
father  was  always  very  kind  to  the  Irish  prisoners,  he 
was  shot  dead  by  one  of  them,  and  my  mother  was  killed, 
too,  at  the  same  time." 

Clancy  had  heard  from  Christie  half  an  hour  before  the 
story  of  the  tragedy  at  "  Huon  Bank,"  and  now  felt  a 
genuine  and  friendly  interest  in,  and  sympathy  for 
Tom,  and  in  his  rough  way  wanted  to  show  it,  and  so 
when  he  held  out  his  hand  across  the  table,  Tom  could 
not  decline  to  take  it. 

"  Sure  if  ye'll  give  me  the  privilege  of  being  of  any 
service  to  ye,  Mr.  Denison,  I'll  feel  proud — I  will  indeed. 
I'm  not  an  entirely  bad  mahn,  with  all  me  faults,"  and 
then  he  hurriedly  rose  and  went  on  deck,  leaving  Tom 
alone. 

"  Are  you  the  regular  steward  ?  "  he  enquired  of 
Frank,  who  was  pouring  him  out  a  second  cup  of  coffee. 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so,"  he  replied  somewhat  evasively, 
and  then  he  added,  "  I  ain't  allowed  to  answer  ques- 
tions." 

Tom  took  the  hint,  and  then  went  on  deck.  The 
captain  was  on  the  bridge  at  the  wheel. 

"  Here,  read  that,"  he  said,  taking  a  folded  sheet  of 
paper  out  of  his  pocket,  and  handing  it  to  Tom,  "  that 
is  about  as  fair  a  copy  as  I  can  remember  of  the  letter  I 
wrote  to  your  aunt.     Thought  you  would  like  to  see  it." 

As  the  youth  read  it,  he  felt  very  thankful  that  his 


82  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

aunt  and  Sabbie  would  by  now  feel  assured  of  his  safety. 
He  thanked  the  captain,  and  then  asked  him  if  he  minded 
his  staying  on  the  bridge. 

"  Not  at  all.  You  can  do  whatever  you  like,  and  have 
the  entire  run  of  the  ship,  if  you  will  promise  me  one 
thing." 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  Not  to  ask  any  one  but  myself  any  questions  about 
this  ship.  I  mean  about  the  manner  of  her  leaving 
Sydney." 

Tom  considered  a  few  moments. 

"  Very  well,  I  promise." 

"  That's  right,  and  now  in  my  turn  I'll  tell  you  this 
much  straight  out.  When  we  took  her  and  turned  out 
those  who  were  in  charge  of  her,  we  hurt  no  one." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,"  and  then  Tom  again 
noticed  what  he  had  observed  on  other  occasions — the 
big  man  was  steering  with  his  left  hand  only,  and  that 
his  right  was  bandaged  in  a  black  silk  handkerchief. 

"  You  have  a  bad  hand,  I  see,"  he  remarked.  "  I 
will  take  the  wheel  if  you  like." 

"  Why,  can  you  steer  ?  but  of  course  you  can — what 
am  I  thinking  about.  I  shall  be  obliged  if  you'll  take 
the  wheel  for  half  an  hour  or  so.  You  see  we  are  very 
short-handed  and  I  have  neither  a  first  nor  second  officer, 
and  had  to  do  a  bit  of  stoking  last  night.  I  burnt  my 
hand  in  putting  out  the  iire  in  the  saloon." 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  83 

Tom  took  the  wheel,  and  noted  the  course,  E.  by  N 
Christie  watched  him  in  silence  for  a  few  minutes. 

"  How  was  the  fire  caused,  sir  ?  "  Tom  ventured  to  ask. 

Christie  replied  that  he  had  given  orders  for  all  lights 
to  be  put  out,  and  the  man  who  was  sent  to  do  this  must 
have  dropped  a  lighted  match  or  hot  ashes  from  his 
pipe  amongst  the  thick  cushions  and  curtains  with  which 
the  transoms  bunks  were  covered,  as  soon  after  the 
steamer  had  passed  through  the  Heads  it  was  found  that 
she  was  on  fire  ;  and  in  extinguishing  it  the  captain  had 
his  right  hand  rather  badly  burnt. 

Leaving  Tom  at  the  wheel,  Christie  went  round  the 
ship  with  the  boatswain  and  gave  his  orders  as  to  what 
was  to  be  done  ;  and  a  few  minutes  later  they  were 
joined  by  five  other  hands,  and  the  steward  Frank,  and 
then  the  four  boats  which  the  steamer  carried  were 
swung  inboard  from  the  davits,  and  made  secure  on 
deck.  This  took  quite  an  hour  or  more,  and  then 
Christie  returned  to  the  bridge. 

"  We  are  so  short-handed,"  he  explained,  "  and  as  all  of 
us  have  to  take  a  turn  in  the  stoke-hold,  I  took  the  chance 
of  getting  the  boats  inboard  whilst  it  is  fine,  rather  than 
run  the  risk  of  losing  them  if  we  meet  with  heavy 
weather  from  the  eastward." 

"  Yes,  and  we  seem  very  deep  in  the  water." 

"  Very.  There  is  a  full  cargo  under  hatches — ^I  wish 
some  of  it  was  coal.     Would  you  mind  taking  a  look  at 


84  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

the  taffrail  log,  and  tell  me  what  it  shows  ?     It  was  set 
afresh  at  eight  bells." 

Tom  ran  aft  and  glanced  at  the  dial,  and  then  returned 
to  the  bridge. 

"  Nearly  seventeen." 

"  Ah  !  that's  not  so  bad —  a  little  over  eight  knots. 
Now  we'll  set  our  canvas,  which  will  help  us.  The 
breeze  is  freshening,  and  I  want  to  save  my  coal." 

"  Can  I  lend  a  hand  ?  " 
'\    "  Only  too  glad  if  you  will." 

Like  most  of  the  steamers  on  the  Australian  coast, 
in  those  days  when  pole  masts  and  twin  screws  were  not, 
the  Warrigal  was  square-rigged  for'ard,  and  could  show 
quite  a  spread  of  canvas  for  a  vessel  of  under  seven 
hundred  tons. 

In  half  a  minute,  Tom  was  aloft  with  the  big  sailor, 
Sam,  casting  off  the  gaskets,  and  then  as  the  topsails 
and  the  foresail  were  dropped  by  them  and  sheeted  home 
by  the  hands  on  deck,  and  the  freshening  breeze  bellied 
out  the  canvas,  Christie  called  down  to  Clancy. 

"  How's  that,  Terence  ?  "  he  asked,  as  the  engineer 
appeared,  and  he  pointed  to  the  sails. 

"  Ah,  it's  beautiful,  me  boy,  beautiful !  It  means  a 
ton  less  of  coal  an  hour."  Then  he  noticed  Tom,  who 
had  been  helping  the  men  to  hoist  the  head  sails,  and 
was  now  coming  aft  again,  flushed  and  pleasedly  excited. 

"  He's  made  friends  with  me,  Jim." 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  85 

"  I'm  glad  of  it,  Terence.  He's  a  fine  lad.  And  if  it 
can  be  done  safely,  I'll  try  and  put  him  on  shore  at  Lord 
Howe's  Island  or  Norfolk  Island.  But  if  it  can't  be  done, 
he'll  have  to  come  on  with  us  to  Callao,  poor  lad  !  " 

"  Maybe  we  might  meet  with  an  Australian-bound 
ship  after  we  pass  Norfolk  Island " 

"  No,  not  at  all  likely  on  the  course  we  are  taking.  We 
may  very  probably  see  a  few  Yankee  sperm  whalers, 
but  I  haven't  the  heart  to  put  him  aboard  a  whale  ship, 
which  might  not  put  into  a  civilised  port  for  six  months." 
Tom  appeared  on  the  bridge. 

"  Thank  you,  my  lad,"  said  Christie.  "  Mr.  Clancy 
and  I  are  going  into  the  saloon  for  a  glass  of  grog.  Come 
with  us  and  have  a  glass  of  wine." 

"  Anything  in  it  this  time  ?  " 

Christie's  face  flushed  scarlet,  "  I  deserve  that,  but — " 

Tom's  laugh  interrupted  him — ^"  I  am  not  afraid, 
captain.  I'll  come  with  you  and  Mr,  Clancy.  Then  I 
should  like  to  have  a  look  at  the  engine-room." 

"  Indade,  you  shall,"  said  Clancy,  "  an'  ye'll  see  no 
finer  nor  better  engines  in  the  hull  of  any  ship  afloat  of 
the  size  of  the  WarrigalP 


CHAPTER    X 

When  the  south-wester  which  blew  Tom  out  to  sea 
burst  upon  the  northern  shores  of  the  harbour,  and  filled 
the  air  with  dust  and  flying  leaves  and  twigs  torn  from 
the  iron-bark  and  gum  trees,  neither  Miss  Denison  nor 
her  niece  had  felt  any  apprehensions  as  to  his  safety  ; 
for  in  the  sheltered  position  of  the  "  Crows'  Nest  "  they 
had  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  fury  of  the  wind.  But  Jack 
Castles,  the  ship-keeper  of  the  Simon  Bolivar,  as  he 
hoisted  the  barque's  bright  riding  light,  felt  uneasy  as  he 
listened  to  the  howling  of  the  storm  through  the  old 
ship's  weather-worn  rigging,  and  heard,  although  he 
could  not  see  it,  the  beating  of  the  surf  upon  the  southern 
head  of  the  little  cove,  a  few  hundred  fathoms  away. 

*'  It  must  be  very  bad  out  in  the  open,  when  such  a 
sea  is  breaking  in  this  sheltered  spot,"  he  long  afterwards 
told  Tom,  he  had  said  to  himself,  "  there's  not  much  of 
a  show  for  a  small  boat  in  a  blow  like  this."  And  for 
many  hours  he  kept  a  lookout ;  and  then  about  three 
in  the  morning,  long  after  the  southerly  had  spent  itself, 

86 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  87 

and  then  ceased,  he  saw  a  boat  with  three  men  in  it  sail 
past,  and  then  land  at  the  head  of  the  cove.  Here  she 
remained  for  half  an  hour,  and  having  lowered  her  sail 
the  crew  took  to  the  oars  and  pulled  away  again  in  the 
direction  of  Manly. 

"  Smuggling  fishermen,"  thought  Castles,  "  been 
landing  and  hiding  tobacco  somewhere  in  the  scrub,  I 
suppose." 

At  six  o'clock  he  could  see  that  Tom's  boat  was  not 
at  its  moorings,  so  getting  into  his  own,  he  pulled  on 
shore,  meaning  to  enquire  at  the  house  if  Tom  had  re- 
turned home  by  the  road  from  St.  Leonard's  and  left 
his  boat  at  Sydney.  He  found  the  servants  in  a  state 
of  great  excitement,  and  Mrs.  Potter  weeping  profusely 
in  the  kitchen,  and  after  some  questioning,  succeeded 
in  learning  between  her  sobs  that  Master  Tom  had  been 
"  kidnapped  and  murdered  and  taken  away."  He  asked 
to  see  the  lady  of  the  house,  and  in  a  few  moments  he 
was  shown  into  the  dining-room,  where  he  found  Miss 
Denison  and  Sabbie,  both  fully  dressed,  and  both  show- 
ing traces  of  recent  tears. 

"  What  has  happened  to  the  young  gentleman, 
madam  ?  "  he  asked  respectfully. 

"  Sit  down,  please,  and  I  will  tell  you,"  and  Miss 
Denison  took  a  letter  from  her  pocket,  and  said,  speaking 
very  quietly,  although  the  poor  lady's  voice  trembled 
somewhat : 


88  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  As  my  nephew  had  not  returned  at  eleven  o'clock,  I 
concluded  he  had  decided  to  stay  in  Sydney  for  the 
night,  on  account  of  its  being  so  windy.  There  is  always 
a  bed  for  him  at  the  house  of  his  friend  Captain  Herrera  ; 
so  my  niece  and  I  retired,  but  left  a  light  burning  in  the 
hall  in  case  he  did  return  later  on. 

"  Soon  after  three  o'clock  this  morning,  some  one 
tapped  loudly  at  the  front  door  and  awakened  the  house- 
keeper. He  said  he  was  a  fisherman,  and  had  a  letter 
for  me  that  was  to  be  delivered  immediately.  Then 
without  waiting  to  see  me,  he  went  away.  Now,  let 
me  read  the  letter." 

She  read  it  slowly  and  distinctly,  and  when  she  uttered 
the  words,  "  Your  obedient  servant,  James  Christie," 
the  half-caste  started. 

"  James  Christie,  madam  ?  " 

"  Yes,  James  Christie.     Do  you  know  the  person  ?  " 

"  Very  well  indeed,  madam.  I  was  boatswain  with 
him  for  two  voyages  about  four  years  ago  in  a  South 
Sea  trading  barque  named  the  Petite  Jeanne.  But  I 
left  her  at  Levuka  in  Fiji,  and  have  never  heard  anything 
of  him  since." 

"  Then  my  nephew  is  with  him  on  the  Petite  "Jeanne  ?  " 

"  No,  madam,  the  Petite  Jeanne,  I  know,  was  wrecked 
on  Tahiti  soon  after  I  left  her  in  Fiji." 

Miss  Denison's  tears  began  to  fall,  and  Sabbie  put  her 
arms  around  her  waist.     In  a  few  moments,  however, 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  89 

her  aunt  recovered  her  composure,  and  turned  to  the 
sympathetic  half-caste. 

"  I  cannot  help  crying,  but  I  must  collect  my  thoughts. 
No  doubt  we  shall  learn  the  name  of  the  vessel  which  has 
taken  away  my  nephew.  But  I  am  anxious  to  learn 
something  about  this  man  Christie.  Do  you  think  he 
will  really  do  as  he  says — ^treat  my  nephew  kindly  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure,  madam,"  was  the  emphatic  reply, 
"  whatever  he  promises  to  do  he  will  do.  If  he  told  a 
man  he  would  punish  him,  he  would  punish  him  very, 
very  severely  ;  if  he  said  he  would  let  a  matter  pass,  he 
would  not  break  his  word." 

"  That  is  consoling  to  me.  Now  this  post-script.  I 
am  going  over  to  Sydney  at  once  to  get  this  morning's 
Herald,  and  see  Captain  M'Lerie,  the  chief  of  Police " 

"  Let  me  take  you  over  in  my  dinghy,  madam.  I 
can  land  you  at  Circular  Quay  two  hours  sooner  than  if 
you  went  by  road  to  St.  Leonard's." 

Her  anxiety  to  learn  all  she  could  as  quickly  as  possible 
overcame  her  fear  of  crossing  the  harbour  in  a  small  boat, 
and  half  an  hour  later  she  was  seated  in  Castles'  boat  on 
her  way  to  the  city,  wondering  if  this  handsome,  well- 
spoken  half-caste  sailor  was  a  reclaimed  cannibal,  and 
who  was  the  particular  missionary  who  had  plucked  him 
from  the  burning. 

As  the  boat  passed  Farm  Cove,  Castles  noticed  that 
H.M.S.  Esk  was  leaving  her  mooring,  a  cloud  of  black 


QO  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

smoke  pouring  from  her  funnels  ;  and  hundreds  of  people 
were  lining  the  stone  embankments  of  the  Botanical 
Gardens  watching  her  movements.  Pulling  into  the 
Circular  Quay,  he  set  Miss  Denison  on  shore,  and  almost 
as  soon  as  she  landed  she  heard  numbers  of  the  news- 
boys crying  out  a  special  sheet  of  the  morning  paper. 

"PIRACY   IN   SYDNEY   HARBOUR!" 

She  bought  a  copy  and  hurriedly  entering  the  Custom 
House  sat  upon  a  bench  in  the  hall,  and  began  to  read. 
It  was  headed  in  large  letters, 

"DARING  ACT   OF   PIRACY." 

and  was  as  follows  : — 

"  This  morning  at  daylight  it  was  noticed  that  the 
steamer  JVarrigal,  which  had  been  lying  in  Mossman's 
Bay,  was  missing,  and  some  surprise  was  felt,  as  her 
owner,  Mr.  Tobias  Pattermore,  had,  owing  to  an  accident 
to  her  machinery,  delayed  her  departure  for  Fiji  for 
two  days. 

"  Mossmans'  Bay,  as  our  readers  are  aware,  is  a  very 
quiet  spot,  and  there  are  only  one  or  two  houses  within 
a  radius  of  some  miles.  In  the  bay  itself  are  two  hulks, 
one  used  as  a  coal  barge,  and  the  other  for  storing 
kerosene  ;  no  one  usually  lived  on  either,  but  occasion- 
ally a  man  sleeps  on  the  latter  vessel  when  it  holds  cargo. 
Last  night,  however,  there  was  no  one  on  board,  nor  had 
there  been  for  some  weeks. 

"  At  £ve  a.m.  some  Greek  fishermen  entered  the  bay 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  9 1 

in  their  boat,  and  as  they  passed  the  kerosene  hulk,  they 
heard  the  sound  of  violent  hammering  within  the  hold, 
and,  they  fancied,  also  voices.  On  going  on  board  they 
found  the  hatches  were  on,  but  the  tarpaulin  that  is  used 
to  cover  them  was  thrown  aside.  Lifting  off  one  hatch 
they  made  the  astonishing  discovery  that  four  men  were 
imprisoned  below ;  they  were  the  chief  officer  (Mr. 
Watts),  second  steward  (Guy),  and  two  A.B.'s  of  the 
Warrigal ! 

"  Their  story  is  an  astounding  one.  The  Warrigal  is 
generally  known  as  one  of  the  fastest  (or  the  fastest) 
steamers  in  Australian  waters,  and  is  almost  new.  Some 
months  ago  she  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Pattermore,  and 
after  being  thoroughly  overhauled,  loaded  a  valuable 
general  cargo  for  Levuka  on  behalf  of  her  owner,  who  has 
there  just  established  a  large  trading  business. 

"  Yesterday  the  steamer  made  a  satisfactory  trial  trip, 
but  on  returning  to  port,  something  went  wrong  with 
her  machinery,  and  the  chief  engineer  (Mr.  Clancy), 
finding  upon  examination  that  it  was  more  serious  than 
he  at  first  imagined,  the  steamer  went  into  Mossman's 
Bay,  where  she  anchored. 

"  Captain  Toll  went  on  shore  to  sleep  at  his  house,  and 
before  leaving  the  vessel  also  gave  liberty  to  the  second 
officer,  and  several  of  the  crew  to  remain  on  shore  for 
the  night,  as  the  Warrigal  was  lying  in  a  perfectly  safe 
and  sheltered  position,  and  there  was  no  need  for  her  full 
crew  to  stay  on  board. 

"  Last  night  one  of  the  most  violent  south-westers  ever 
experienced  set  in  early  in  the  evening,  and  lasted  for  an 
unprecedented  time,  and  Mr.  Watts,  knowing  that  the 
steamer  was  perfectly  safe,  and  that  there  were  two  men 
on  watch  on  deck,  turned  in  about  nine  o'clock. 

"  At  some  time  later  in  the  night  he  was  roughly 
awakened  by  several  men — two  of  whom  he  recognised 
as  members  of  the  newly-shipped  crew — and  a  pistol  was 
pressed  to  his  forehead  by  a  tall,  stout  man,  who  threat- 


g2  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

ened  to  shoot  him  dead  if  he  made  the  slightest  noise, 
or  attempted  to  resist.  Then  he  was  handcuffed  and 
locked  in  his  cabin. 

"  Half  an  hour  later  he  was  brought  out,  and  saw 
lying  on  the  deck  the  second  steward  and  two  other 
members  of  the  crew.  They  were  not  bound,  and  he 
imagined  that  they  had  been  murdered  ;  later  on  he 
found  that  they  were  helplessly  intoxicated. 

"  With  a  pistol  still  threatening  him,  the  unfortunate 
officer  was  compelled  to  descend  into  a  boat,  into  which 
his  three  companions  were  also  lowered,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  he  found  himself  on  board  the  kerosene  hulk, 
and  he  then  noticed,  dark  as  it  was,  that  a  thick  volume 
of  smoke  was  pouring  from  the  funnel  of  the  Warrigal. 

"  His  intoxicated  companions  were  first  lowered  into 
the  dark  hold  of  the  hulk,  and  then  himself.  Then  the 
hatches  were  put  on,  and  the  officer  was  left  in  Cimmer- 
ian darkness.  Soon  after  daylight  one  of  the  seamen 
awakened  (he  declared  that  he  and  the  other  men  were 
given  drugged  liquor  by  some  of  the  crew),  and  by  his 
assistance  Mr.  Watts  freed  himself  of  his  handcuffs,  and 
tried  to  gain  access  to  the  deck.  But  the  desperadoes 
who  have  pirated  the  Warrigal  had  taken  all  precautions  ; 
both  the  for'ard  and  after  bulkheads  of  the  hulk  were 
secured  on  the  other  side,  and  even  had  they  been  forced, 
the  fore  scuttle  was  covered  with  a  coiled-up  towing 
hawser  weighing  nearly  a  ton.  Had  it  not  been  for  the 
Greek  fishermen,  the  unfortunate  men  might  still  be 
imprisoned.  Their  captors,  however,  had  placed  food 
and  water  for  them,  so  they  would  not  have  suffered  the 
pangs  of  hunger  or  thirst. 

"  One  of  our  representatives  has  been  despatched  to 
Mr.  Pattermore,  M^ho,  living  at  Parramatta,  fifteen  miles 
from  Sydney,  is  not  yet  aware  of  this  astounding  act  of 
piracy.  We  hope  to  publish  a  special  further  edition 
within  a  few  hours. 

"  Immediately  Mr.  Watts  reported  what  had  happened 
to  the  authorities,  the  Commodore  was  seen,  and  he  at 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  93 

once  gave  instructions  for  the  Esk  to  proceed  to  sea, 
and  search  for  the  pirated  steamer." 

Ten  minutes  later  Miss  Denison  was  at  the  newspaper 
office,  and  telling  her  story  of  the  mysterious  letter  to  the 
editor. 

And  at  the  same  time  Mr.  Tobias  Pattermore,  a  fat, 
bald-headed  gentleman,  who  had  just  recovered  from  a 
fit,  was  lying  on  a  sofa  in  the  breakfast  room,  with  his 
wife  and  daughter  by  his  side,  fanning  him. 

"  Christie  said  he  would  have  his  revenge,"  he  gasped, 
and  then  he  began  to  weep.  "  Oh,  why  is  human  nature 
so  wicked  !  He  has  robbed  me  of  my  steamer — twenty 
thousand  pounds,  Maria,  twenty  thousand  pounds ! 
and  the  cargo,  Maria  !  and  the  cargo — forty  thousand 
pounds  more  .  .  .  Sixty  thousand  pounds !  All 
gone  at  once." 


CHAPTER   XI 

For  ten  days  under  cloudless  skies,  and  through  a  gently 
heaving  sea  the  Warrigal  had  been  steaming  at  a 
moderate  rate  of  speed,  economising  her  coal  as  much 
as  possible  by  using  her  canvas  whenever  the  wind 
favoured,  and  was  now  within  a  hundred  miles  of  Rapa 
Island,  at  which  Christie  intended  to  call,  for  he  was  ill 
— so  ill  that  he  was  barely  able  to  navigate  the  ship — 
and  was  in  hopes  that  he  would  there  be  able  to  obtain 
relief  from  one  of  the  French  missionaries,  who  was  a 
medical  man,  and  known  to  him  personally. 

There  now  existed  between  him  and  Tom  almost  a 
feeling  of  friendship.  When  Lord  Howe  Island  was 
sighted,  Christie  had  sent  for  him  and  said  : 

"  Tom,  there  is  Lord  Howe  Island,  four  hundred  miles 
from  Sydney.  I  am  sending  a  boat  on  shore  to  find  out 
if  there  is  a  vessel  there  bound  for  Sydney,  or,  if  not, 
when  the  settlers  expect  one.  I  know  that  they  send 
away  a  cargo  of  produce  once  every  three  months  or  so, 

94 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  95 

and  it  may  be  that  there  is  a  vessel  there  now.  If  so,  or 
if  one  is  expected  soon,  I  will  land  you  and  your  boat. 
If  not,  we  may  meet  with  a  Sydney  ship  at  Norfolk 
Island,  five  hundred  miles  further  to  the  east." 

Then  he  added  that  Tom,  even  if  he  did  not  stay  at 
Lord  Howe  Island,  might  as  well  write  to  his  aunt,  and 
further  assure  her  of  his  safety,  and  that  the  letter  could 
be  left  with  the  settlers  to  forward  by  first  oppor- 
tunity. 

Having  reasons  for  not  approaching  too  near  the 
island,  and  being  boarded  by  any  of  the  inhabitants — 
who  were  nearly  all  retired  English  and  American 
whaling  skippers  with  their  families — Christie  stopped 
the  steamer's  engines  when  she  was  about  six  miles  from 
the  shore,  and  sent  away  Tom's  boat.  It  was  absent 
some  hours,  and  returned  laden  deep  with  onions,  for 
which  the  island  is  renowned. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Christie  enquiringly  to  Frank,  who  was 
in  charge  of  the  boat,  as  he  stepped  on  deck. 

"  The  settlers'  schooner  left  a  week  ago,  sir,  and  won't 
be  back  for  three  months."  Then  he  called  the  captain 
aside,  and  added  in  low  tones  : 

"  And  they  told  me  that  the  Orpheus^  corvette,  called 
there  two  days  ago,  bound  for  Norfolk  Island,  where  she 
will  stay  for  a  week,  as  the  captain  is  to  make  a  fresh 
survey  of  the  island." 

"  All   right,    Frank,   hoist   the   boat   aboard.     Tom, 


96  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

come  on  the  bridge  with  me."  Then  he  asked  Frank  if 
he  had  left  the  letter. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  and  the  man  who  is  a  sort  of  a  magistrate 
there,  said  it  was  quite  possible  that  one  of  the  Hobart 
Town  whalers  might  call  there  any  day  on  the  way 
home,  and  if  so,  he  would  not  fail  to  send  Mr.  Denison's 
letter." 

As  soon  as  they  were  on  the  bridge,  Christie  said  : 

"  It  is  no  use  your  landing  at  this  island,  Tom,  on  the 
chance  of  a  homeward-bound  Hobart  whaler  coming 
along.  And  neither  can  I  land  you  at  Norfolk  Island, 
which  I  must  keep  clear  of — the  Orpheus  is  there.  It 
would  be  good  for  you,  but  bad  for  me,  if  I  had  to  show 
my  papers.  I'm  very  sorry,  but  you  will  have  to  stay 
with  us  for  some  time  longer." 

"  Well,  it  can't  be  helped,"  was  the  philosophic  answer. 

Christie  nodded,  then  the  steamer  went  ahead  again 
on  the  same  course,  instead  of  bearing  to  the  north  for 
Norfolk  Island. 

It  was  soon  after  this  incident  that  Christie  was 
taken  ill,  and  he  rapidly  became  worse,  until  at  last  he 
was  unable  to  go  on  the  bridge,  unassisted,  to  take  an 
observation,  and  his  anxiety  concerning  the  navigation 
of  the  Warrigal  through  the  dangerous  seas  of  the  Pau- 
motu  Group,  which  the  steamer  was  now  nearing, 
hourly  increased,  and  Tom  could  not  help  a  feeling  of 
pity  for  the  man ;   and  so  one  day  he  told  him  what  he 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  97 

had  hitherto  carefully  concealed  from  him — that  he 
had  been  taught  navigation  by  Captain  Ryder,  and 
that  although  he  had  never  had  the  opportunity  of 
working  out  a  ship's  position  at  sea,  he  was  pretty  sure 
he  could  do  so  with  a  little  further  instruction  from 
him. 

Christie  gave  a  sigh  of  relief,  and  at  once  became  more 
cheerful. 

"  Ah,  my  lad,  if  you  will  help  me — and  you  can  help  me 
greatly — I  shall  be  very  grateful.  If  you  will  take  the 
sights  we  can  work  them  out  together."  Then  he  sank 
back  in  his  bunk,  too  exhausted  to  speak  further. 

After  Lord  Howe  Island  was  passed,  no  further  land 
was  seen  till  the  bold,  rugged  outlines  and  verdant  hills 
of  Sunday  Island  hove  in  sight,  and  here  the  Warrigal 
remained  three  days  at  anchor,  taking  in  firewood, 
which  Christie  bought  from  the  one  family  living  there, 
who  had  a  large  supply  cut  and  ready  for  sale  to  the 
numerous  American  whaleships  that  yearly  called  at  the 
island.  The  family  consisted  of  father,  mother  and 
eleven  children,  some  of  whom  were  grown  up.  They 
had  come  from  New  Zealand — which  was  distant  but  a 
few  days'  sail — and  although  their  existence  was  some- 
what monotonous  at  times,  it  was  yet  a  very  happy  one, 
and  Tom  could  not  but  envy  the  younger  members. 
They — both  sons  and  daughters — helped  their  father  in 
his  work  ;   he  was  a  boat-builder  by  trade,  and  always 


98  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

had  one  or  two  beautifully  finished  whaleboats  ready  to 
sell  to  any  whaleship  which  was  short  of  boats  through 
a  mishap  ;  then  they  cultivated  an  extensive  and  pro- 
lific garden,  shot  the  wild  pigs  with  which  the  island 
abounded,  and  salted  them  down,  and  caught  and  cured 
a  great  quantity  of  fish,  which  was  taken  to  Auckland 
(New  Zealand)  every  few  months  in  a  small  cutter  they 
owned,  or  sold  to  the  whaleships,  together  with  the  salt 
pork  and  vegetables.  The  house  was  large  and  com- 
fortably furnished,  and  the  only  disturbing  element  in 
their  lives  was  the  frequent  shocks  of  earthquake  which 
shook  the  island. 

During  the  time  that  the  firewood  was  being  shipped, 
Christie  stayed  on  shore  at  the  settler's  house,  and  his 
health  improved  slightly  by  the  rest ;  Tom  remained 
with  him  at  night,  but  during  the  day  spent  his  time  with 
two  of  the  settler's  sons,  either  shooting  pigeons,  which 
were  very  plentiful  in  the  mountain  forest,  or  fishing  in 
the  deep  waters  of  the  bay  in  which  the  steamer  was 
anchored.  Meanwhile  the  energetic  Clancy  and  his  men 
had  altered  the  fire  bars  of  the  steamer's  furnaces,  so 
that  either  wood  or  coal  could  be  burned,  and  Christie 
was  well  pleased  when,  on  the  evening  of  the  third  day 
he  went  on  board,  and  found  every  available  inch  of 
deck  space  piled  up  with  logs  of  firewood  as  high  as  the 
sheerpoles,  with  only  narrow  alleyways  on  each  side  of 
the  ship,  so  that  the  hands  could  pass  fore  and  aft  with- 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  99 

out  inconvenience  when  working  the  running  gear  if 
the  vessel  should  be  under  canvas  only.  And  Christie 
had  great  hopes  of  meeting  with  strong  north-westerly 
winds  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Paumotu  Archipelago,  and 
so  still  further  economise  his  fuel. 

During  his  stay  on  the  island  the  hospitable  settler 
had  several  times  pressed  Tom  to  remain  there  for 
another  month,  when  he  would  give  him  a  passage  to 
New  Zealand,  but  Tom,  who  had  only  told  him  as  much 
of  his  story  as  he  deemed  advisable,  declined  the  offer 
with  many  thanks.  One  reason  for  this  was,  that  he 
was  now  certain  that  Miss  Denison  and  his  sister  knew 
of  his  safety,  and  that  he  would  return  home  sooner  or 
later  ;  another  was  that  he  had  in  a  manner  pledged 
himself  to  Christie  to  stay  with,  and  assist  him  with  the 
navigation  of  the  steamer  during  his  illness  ;  and  thirdly, 
and  lastly,  his  whole  soul  was  aflame  with  the  desire  for 
adventure,  and  the  wild  longing  to  see  strange  lands 
and  strange  peoples,  and  he  often  congratulated  himself 
upon  his  knowledge  of  Spanish,  now  that  he  would 
certainly  see  South  America.  Perhaps,  too,  he  might 
come  across  his  former  friend  Bob  Stenhouse,  although 
Iquique  was  a  long  cry  from  Valparaiso.  Then,  too, 
three  of  the  male  members  of  the  Bell  family,  who  had 
made  voyages  to  the  Arctic  in  American  whaleships,  had 
fired  him  with  the  desire  to  do  the  same  thing,  and  a  wide 
vista  of  his  future  lay  before  him  like  some  great  and 


ipo  The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercargo 

unknown  sea  suddenly  revealed  to  one,  who,  standing 
upon  a  mountain  top,  sees  it  lying  before  him  glinting 
and  sparkling  under  the  roseate  glories  of  the  rising 
sun. 


CHAPTER   XII 

It  was  towards  sunset  on  a  glorious  day  that  the  Warri- 
gal  stopped  her  engines  off  Ahurei  Harbour  on  Rapa, 
and  waited  for  a  native  pilot,  and  Tom,  as  he  stood  on  the 
bridge,  saw  before  him  a  panorama  of  strange  and 
wondrous  beauty.  High,  forest-clad  mountains  of  a 
bright  vivid  green,  rose  steep-to  from  a  sleeping  sea 
which,  under  the  rays  of  the  sinking  sun,  gleamed  like 
a  mirror  of  burnished  silver  ;  and  all  along,  and  nestling 
in  between  the  deep  valleys,  were  glinting  beaches  of 
snow-white  sand,  fringed  with  groves  of  cocos  and  bread- 
fruit trees,  from  out  of  which  peeped  the  russet-brown 
thatched  roofs  of  the  native  dwellings,  whilst  far  up  on 
the  side  of  the  highest  peak  of  all,  whose  jagged  pinnacle 
of  purple  rock  was  silhouetted  against  a  sky  of  cloudless 
blue,  there  shone  a  long,  straight  line  of  silvery  white — 
a  mountain  cascade,  which  fell  a  sheer  three  hundred 
feet  into  the  dark  green  shades  of  a  valley  below,  from 
whence  the  brawling  water  swept  eastward  to  the  sea 
through  groves  of  palms  and  orange,  sweet-smelling 
cedar,    mango,    and    other    trees.     And    as    he    gazed 


I02  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

(oblivious  even  of  Christie,  who,  ill  as  he  was,  had  taken 
the  wheel,  and  was  watching  the  approach  of  the  canoe 
bringing  off  the  pilot),  his  memory  went  back  to  a  letter 
which  the  Governor  of  Tasmania  had  shown  to  his 
father — a  treasured  letter  written  by  the  unhappy  and 
maligned  Fletcher  Christian,  the  leader  of  the  Bounty 
mutineers,  to  the  woman  he  loved  in  far-off  Dorsetshire, 
and  who  died  broken-hearted,  when  after  that  one 
passionate  letter  reached  her,  she  never  again  heard  from 
her  sailor  lover.  Christian  told  her  the  story  of  the 
mutiny,  and  how  after  he  and  his  comrades  had  returned 
to  Tahiti,  and  had  again  sailed  to  seek  a  resting-place  in 
one  of  the  many  islands  in  the  South  Pacific  they  had 
come  to  an  island  of  such  wondrous  beauty,  that  although 
the  natives  were  so  fierce  and  warlike,  that  were  she  with 
him  he  "  would  be  content  to  live  and  die  there.  So 
beautiful  is  it,  my  Doris,  that  I  cannot  attempt  to 
portray  it  in  paper  for  those  sweet  grey  eyes  of  yours 
to  read  ;  and  yet  my  comrade  Edward  Young  and  I  are 
told  of  another  island  in  the  same  cluster  as  this  of 
Tubuai,  which  is  still  more  beautiful,  and  where  the 
people  are  mild  and  gentle-mannered.  It  is  called  Rapa 
by  our  Tahitians,  and  lies  a  hundred  leagues  to  the 
South." 

In  the  canoe  were  four  stalwart,  reddish-brown  skin- 
ned natives,  with  straight  black  hair,  and  very  regular 
features.     Two  of  them  were  dressed  in  the  shirts  and 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  103 

trousers  of  civilisation,  the  other  wore  the  Tahitian 
pareu^  or  waist-cloth  of  soft  tappa,  made  from  the  bark 
of  the  paper  mulberry  tree.  Only  the  pilot  spoke 
English,  and  as  soon  as  he  ascended  the  bridge,  he  shook 
hands  with  Christie,  who  asked  him  if  he  could  take  the 
steamer  in  to  a  safe  anchorage.  He  smiled  and  showed 
his  white  pearly  teeth  under  a  well-trained  and  Frenchi- 
fied black  moustache. 

"  Oh  yes,  I  can  take  you  anywhere  through  any  of  the 
island ;  but  this  is  the  first  time  of  me  to  take 
steamer  into  Ahurei,  but  plenty  time  I  take  in  sailing 
vessel — brig,  barque,  schooner,  full-rig  ship." 

Christie,  quite  satisfied,  rang  "  half-speed  ahead," 
the  pilot  took  the  wheel,  and  half  an  hour  later  the  anchor 
of  the  Warrigal  was  lying  upon  a  ground  of  dead  coral 
and  sand  in  nine  fathoms  of  water,  so  clear  that  the 
smallest  pebble  could  be  seen  lying  on  the  bottom.  Just 
abreast  of  the  steamer  was  a  native  village  of  about 
thirty  houses,  surrounded  by  orange  trees,  under  which 
were  gathered  all  the  women  and  children,  arrayed  in 
their  flowing  draperies  of  muslin,  awaiting  the  arrival 
of  the  white  men.  Most  of  the  men  folk  were  away 
fishing  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  and  so  had  not 
observed  the  steamer  ;  but  those  who  had  remained  at 
the  village,  and  who  numbered  less  than  a  dozen,  soon 
came  on  board,  with  their  canoes  laden  deeply  with 
fruit  and  vegetables,  fowls,  ducks,  and  squealing  pigs. 


I04  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

All  these  were  bought  by  Christie  and  his  crew  for  a  few 
shillings  and  two  50-lb.  tins  of  ship  biscuit.  They 
informed  Christie  that  the  French  priest  he  wished  to  see 
was  away  at  another  village  across  the  bay,  but  that  he 
would  be  sure  to  come  on  board  in  a  few  hours,  as  the 
people  there  had  seen  the  steamer  entering  the  harbour. 
He  was,  they  said,  the  only  white  man  then  on  the  island, 
though  a  few  years  previously  there  had  been  two  others 
— ^traders — ^living  on  the  island.  One,  however,  had 
died,  and  the  other,  who  was  a  native  of  Pitcairn  Island, 
and  a  descendant  of  Quintal,  one  of  the  Bounty  mutineers, 
had  wearied  of  Rapa  and  its  beauties,  and  gone  back  to 
the  lonely  little  island  always  so  dear  to  the  hearts  and 
memories  of  its  people. 

A  few  hours  after  the  steamer  had  anchored,  the 
French  missionary's  whaleboat  appeared,  sailing  across 
the  smooth  waters  of  the  lovely  harbour,  which  were  now 
sparkling  under  the  silvery  light  of  an  all  but  full  moon. 
She  ranged  alongside,  and  there  stepped  out  of  her  an 
active  little  man  with  snow-white  hair  and  beard, 
dressed  in  the  usual  priestly  vestment  of  black.  He 
started  with  pleased  astonishment  when  he  heard 
Christie's  voice  addressing  him  as  he  stood  on  the  gang- 
way. Grasping  the  skipper's  outstretched  hand  he 
poured  forth  in  mingled  French  and  English,  questions 
and  compliments  in  the  one  breath,  and  when  he  learned 
that  Christie  was  ill,  he  at  once  became  very  sympathetic, 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  105 

and  went  with  him  to  his  cabin,  where  he  remained  for 
some  time.  Then  Christie  called  for  Tom,  whom  he 
introduced  to  the  cleric  as  "  the  young  gentleman  who 
had  been  blown  out  to  sea  from  Sydney  Harbour." 
The  old  gentleman's  kindly,  beady  black  eyes  lit  up  with 
pleasure,  when  Tom,  in  answer  to  his  enquiry  if  he  could 
speak  French,  answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  added 
that  he  had  been  taught  both  French  and  Spanish. 

"  Spanish,  too,  Tom  ?  "  said  Christie,  astonished. 
"  Why,  you  are  a  secretive  youngster.  Now,  if  I  had 
known  that  you  could  speak  Spanish,  I  should  have 
asked  you  to  give  me  lessons,  for  a  little  knowledge  of  it 
would  be  a  big  help  to  me  later  on." 

"  Oh,  well,  there  is  plenty  of  time  yet,  captain." 

Christie  nodded  pleasedly,  and  then  said,  "  Tom,  I  am 
going  ashore  to  stay  with  Pere  Leblond  for  a  few  days. 
He  is  going  to  doctor  me  up  and  put  me  to  rights.  Now, 
will  you  ask  Mr.  Clancy  to  muster  the  hands  and  bring 
them  aft." 

Clancy  and  the  eight  men  who  formed  the  steamer's 
complement  soon  appeared,  and  Christie  told  them  all 
that  on  the  morrow  they  could  have  three  days'  liberty 
on  shore,  and  enjoy  themselves.  "  Father  Leblond," 
he  added,  "  tells  me  that  he  will  get  the  chief  of  Ahurai 
to  put  a  tapu  on  the  ship,  and  that  not  a  single  native 
will  come  on  board  if  I  object." 

The  men  thanked  him  and  then  went  off  ;  and  shortly 


io6  The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercargo 

after  Christie  and  the  priest  started  for  the  shore.  The 
mission-house  was  situated  on  a  spur  of  one  of  the  ver- 
dure-clad mountains,  and  Tom,  although  he  was  asked  to 
accompany  them,  and  was  anxious  to  put  foot  on  shore, 
decided  to  remain  on  board  with  Clancy,  who,  like  him- 
self, was  an  ardent  fisherman,  and  who  had  been  told  by 
the  natives  that  splendid  fish  could  be  caught  from  the 
steamer,  and  that  they  would  bring  them  off  some  flying 
fish  for  bait.  This  they  did,  and  Tom  and  the  Irish 
engineer  had  some  glorious  sport  with  some  great  bream- 
like fish,  called  by  the  natives  tahulu,  many  of  which 
weighed  over  thirty  pounds. 

The  two  slept  on  the  bridge,  enjoying  to  the  full  the 
cool  breeze  from  the  shore  between  the  deep  mountain 
valley,  bringing  with  it  the  sweet  odours  of  orange 
blossom  and  the  yellow  flowers  of  the  pandanus  palms. 

At  dawn,  and  whilst  Clancy  was  still  sleeping,  Tom 
rose,  and  as  he  looked  across  to  the  entrance  of  the  har- 
bour he  saw  a  large  paddle-wheel  steamer  just  bringing 
to,  to  anchor,  and  as  her  cable  rushed  through  her 
hawse-pipe,  there  came  a  flash  and  a  puff  of  smoke 
from  her  deck,  and  then  the  report  of  a  gun. 

Clancy  sprang  to  his  feet,  wide  awake  in  an  instant, 
and  with  Tom  gazed  at  the  stranger. 

"  She's  a  Yankee,"  he  said,  with  a  sigh  of  relief, 
"  see  her  walking  beam.  We  have  nothing  to  be  afraid 
of ;    but  I  wonder  what  the  blazes  she  is  doing  in  this 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  107 

part  of  the  world.    Ah,  there's  another  gun  !     She  wants 
assistance,  perhaps,  as  well  as  a  pilot." 

Rousing  the  hands,  he  had  one  of  the  WarrigaVs 
boats  lowered  and  manned,  and  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
later  he  and  Tom  were  on  board  the  stranger,  which  they 
found  was  the  Aztec  City^  bound  from  San  Francisco  to 
Sydney,  and  in  distress,  with  a  mutinous  crew  as  well. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

The  captain  of  the  Aztec  City  was  a  Scotsman,  named 
Seaton,  two  of  his  officers  were  Americans,  and  the  crew 
of  five-and-twenty  were,  he  informed  Clancy,  a  collec- 
tion of  dead-beat  loafers,  and  thieves,  put  on  board  by 
the  'Frisco  crimping  houses. 

He  told  Clancy  his  story  as  briefly  as  possible.  The 
steamer,  which  was  a  cumbersome  and  very  old  vessel 
of  sixteen  hundred  tons,  had  sailed  from  San  Francisco 
nearly  six  weeks  before  for  Sydney  via  Honolulu,  carry- 
ing a  number  of  saloon  passengers  for  both  ports.  A 
week  after  leaving  Honolulu  the  crew  began  to  show  a 
mutinous  disposition,  and  ended  up  by  broaching  cargo, 
and  providing  themselves  with  all  the  liquor  they  wanted. 
Then  to  add  to  Captain  Seaton's  troubles,  the  steamer 
sprang  a-leak,  and  although  some  of  the  crew  had 
worked  at  the  pumps  fairly  well,  most  of  them  had  told 
the  officers  that  the  ship  could  go  down  as  far  as  they 
v/ere  concerned,  and  they  had  plenty  of  liquor  and 
provisions   in    the    fo'scle.     "  But,"    Seaton   went   on, 

xo8 


Th e  Adven lures  of  a  Sup ercarg o  1 09 

"  We  have  a  bit  of  a  pull  on  them  now.  Last  night  my 
officers  and  I  managed  to  secure  ten  of  them  after  a  bit 
of  a  tussle,  in  which  pistols  were  used  on  both  sides, 
though  no  one  was  killed.  I  have  the  brutes  safely  in 
irons  now  in  the  after-part  of  the  ship,  where  they  can't 
be  rescued,  and  where  a  diet  of  a  biscuit  each  and  water 
for  three  or  four  days  will  take  some  of  the  devilry  out 
of  them.  The  rest  of  them  are  a  little  more  civil  this 
morning,  but  I  can't  trust  them,  and  am  afraid  they  will 
set  the  ship  on  fire,  either  in  one  of  their  drunken  orgies, 
or  out  of  revenge  ;  for  among  those  in  irons  are  two  or 
three  who  would  hesitate  at  nothing." 

Clancy,  after  explaining  that  he  was  the  chief  engineer 
of  the  fVarrigal,  expressed  his  sympathy,  and  said  :  "  I 
am  sure  that  Captain  Christie  would  lend  you  some  men  if 
he  had  them  to  spare,  but  the  fact  is  we  are  so  short- 
handed  that  he  is  going  to  try  to  get  half-a-dozen 
natives  here,  and  we  are  a  long  way  off  our  port 
yet." 

Seaton  nodded.  "  Perhaps  I  may  induce  a  few  to 
ship  with  me,  too  ;  I  must  do  something  drastic  with  my 
pack  of  sweeps.  You  see  I  have  a  number  of  passengers 
on  board  as  well ;  some  are  a  theatrical  company.  You 
will  see  them  presently,  they're  dressing  to  go  on  shore 
before  breakfast,  I  think."  Then  he  enquired  if  there 
were  plenty  of  fresh  provisions  to  be  obtained  at 
Rapa. 


I  lo  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Tons,"  replied  Clancy,  "  pigs,  wild  goats,  a  few 
cattle,  and  poultry,  vegetables  and  fruit  galore."  Then 
he  rose  to  return  to  the  Warrigal.  "  Captain  Christie  is 
ill  on  shore  at  the  Marist  Brothers'  Mission,  but  he  will 
be  glad  to  see  you.  Perhaps  he  may  be  able  to  assist 
you  in  the  matter  of  getting  some  men  here,  through 
the  priest." 

"  Ah,  thank  you,  I  will,"  and  he  introduced  his  chief 
officer — ^who  had  just  then  entered  the  captain's  cabin 
— "  this  is  my  chief  officer,  sir — ^Mr.,  or  rather,  I  should 
say,  '  Captain  '  Thoreau." 

Thoreau,  a  quiet-faced,  grey-eyed,  and  determined- 
looking  young  man  of  thirty,  shook  hands  with  the  two 
visitors,  and,  as  he  sat  down,  Tom  saw  the  outline  of  a 
pistol  in  his  hip  pocket. 

"  Thoreau,  I'm  going  on  shore  to  see  the  captain  of  the 
steamer.    You'll  be  all  right  for  a  couple  of  hours,  eh  ?  " 

The  officer  nodded.  "  I  guess  so,  sir.  I  have  just 
bagged  two  more  of  our  beauties  and  put  them  with  the 
other  ten  saints." 

Seaton's  face  lit  up.  "  Ha,  that  is  good,  how  did 
you  manage  it  ?  " 

"  Found  them  both  asleep  under  the  windlass,  and 
snapped  the  bracelets  on  them.  Then  Mason "  (the 
second  officer)  "  and  I  hustled  them  aft.  Good-morning, 
gentlemen,"  and  with  a  brisk  nod  to  Clancy  and  Tom 
he  went  off. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Su-per  car  go  iii 

Just  as  they,  accompanied  by  Captain  Seaton  were 
leaving  the  cabin,  the  latter  enquired  if  they  would  care 
about  seeing  any  Californian  papers. 

"  There  is  not  much  news,"  he  added,  as  he  took  up  a 
bundle  of  San  Francisco  journals,  "  except  that  there  is 
another  burst-up  coming  off  between  Chile  and  Peru." 

Clancy's  eyes  sparkled.  "  Ah,  that  is  news  for  us, 
and  will  please  the  captain.  Which  will  come  out  on 
top,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  Hard  to  say,  just  yet.  They  have  both  been  spoil- 
ing for  a  fight  for  a  year  past.  The  Peruvians,  however, 
want  arms  badly  for  their  troops,  but  if  there  is  any  sea- 
fighting,  I  think  they'll  give  the  Chilenos  some  nasty 
shocks.  They  have  some  good  ships,  officered  mostly 
by  Europeans — Englishmen  and  Germans — and  are 
buying  and  arming  more." 

Clancy  made  no  further  remarks,  but  Tom  could  see 
that  he  was  very  anxious  to  get  on  shore  and  tell  Christie 
the  news.  Without  losing  time  over  breakfast  on  board 
the  Warrigal,  where  Tom  was  just  given  time  to  get  the 
gun  and  ammunition  which  Christie  had  lent  or  rather 
given  him  at  Sunday  Island,  a  few  minutes  later  they 
had  landed  in  front  of  the  village.  Tom  was  instantly 
pounced  upon  by  two  stalwart  young  natives,  each 
carrying  a  smooth-bore  ;  they  were,  they  said,  just  about 
to  start  for  the  mountains  to  shoot  wild  goats — ^would  he 
come  ? 


112  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Go,  by  all  means,"  said  Clancy,  as  Tom  hesitated. 

"  Yes,"  cried  one  of  the  natives,  who  spoke  English, 
"  plenty  goat  on  mountain — ^plenty  goat,  and  plenty  big, 
fine  pigeon.  But  first  you  come  to  my  house  and  get 
some  things  to  eat." 

The  "  some  things  to  eat  "  was  a  revelation  to  Tom. 
Led  by  the  hand  by  one  of  the  young  men  as  if  he  were  a 
child  of  five,  he  was  brought  to  one  of  the  largest  houses 
of  the  village,  where  he  was  met  by  the  mother,  wife, 
and  the  family  of  his  new  friend.  They  all  first  shook 
hands  and  then  gravely  rubbed  noses  with  him,  and 
appeared  delighted  to  see  him.  When  his  host,  whose 
name  was  Tao,  addressing  the  household,  told  them 
that  their  visitor  was  a  taata  Beretane  (an  Englishman), 
they  were  still  more  pleased,  one  charming  young  lady  of 
sixteen  coming  over  to  him,  and  stroking  his  hand, 
said,  "  Beretane :  maitai  maitai^  Out,  Oui,"  (the  con- 
temptuous term  for  Frenchmen)  "  e  kino."  By  this  she 
meant  that  Englishmen  were  very,  very  good,  and  that 
Frenchmen  were  the  reverse.  Later  on  Tom  learnt  that 
the  people  of  Rapa,  whilst  some  of  them  were  converts 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  greatly  resented  the  idea  of 
France  seizing  their  island  as  they  had  Tahiti.  The  girl, 
whose  name  was  Tero,  was  remarkably  handsome,  and 
had  eyes  that  Clancy  afterwards  said  were  like  "  two 
great  black  pearls  floatin'  in  a  say  of  crystal." 

Somewhat   embarrassed   by  the   attentions  lavished 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  113 

upon  him,  Tom  seated  himself  upon  a  fine,  soft  mat, 
which  was  spread  out  for  him  on  the  coarser  kind  that 
covered  the  ground  of  the  clean  and  delightfully  cool 
house,  and  then  with  some  dismay  watched  the  kindly- 
natured  people  place  before  him  a  repast  of  cold-baked 
fowls,  fish,  vegetables,  and  fruit,  that  would  have  sufficed 
for  three  starving  men.  But,  as  he  was  hungry,  he 
contrived  "  to  do  full  justice,  etc.,"  but  had  to  blush  at 
the  tender  ministrations  of  the  beautiful  Tero  and  her 
brother  Toa,  who  sat  one  on  each  side  of  him,  gravely 
picking  out  the  best  portions  of  food,  and  placing  it 
upon  his  platter  of  banana  leaf,  whilst  the  rest  of  the 
family,  in  the  old-time  Rapa  fashion,  sat  in  respectful 
silence  with  their  backs  turned  to  their  guest.  But  the 
culminating  point  was  reached  when  Toa,  asking  him  if 
he  had  had  enough,  and  being  answered  in  the  affirma- 
tive, said  something  to  the  family,  who  all  "  slewed 
round,"  with  smiling  faces  and  nodding  heads,  as 
Mademoiselle  Tero,  bringing  a  wooden  bowl  containing 
clean  water,  first  washed  his  hands — using  the  pith  of  a 
wild  orange  as  soap — and  then  carefully  dried  them  with 
a  spotlessly  white  handkerchief,  produced  by  the 
mother  from  a  wooden  chest  containing  the  family 
treasures. 

"  Now  we  go,"  said  Toa. 

The  entire  population  of  the  village  greeted  Tom  as  he 
and  the  two  natives  passed  through  it   towards  the 


114  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

mountains,  nearly  every  family  asking  them  to  "  stop 
just  a  little  while  and  eat  and  drink."  But  they  pressed 
on,  and  in  a  few  minutes  had  entered  the  fringe  of  the 
cool,  dark  forest  of  huge,  many  buttressed  trees  called 
tamana,  in  whose  boughs  the  deep,  booming  notes  of 
the  great  blue  pigeon  mingled  with  the  soft  plaintive 
coo  of  the  ring-dove,  and  the  shrill  cries  of  thousands  of 
green  and  golden-hued  parrakeets  feeding  upon  the 
sweet  berries  of  the  masoi — a  species  of  cedar. 

It  was  nearing  sunset  when  Tom  and  his  companions 
returned.  Each  of  the  natives  had  shot  a  goat,  and  Tom 
had  as  many  pigeons  as  he  could  carry.  He  had  had  a 
delightful  day,  for  in  addition  to  excellent  sport,  he  had 
ascended  to  the  summit  of  the  highest  peak,  and  ex- 
amined the  ruins  of  an  ancient  native  fortification 
which  crowned  it ;  and  then  two  thousand  feet  below  he 
had  seen  the  placid  blue  waters  of  Ahurei  Harbour 
shining  in  the  sun,  with  here  and  there  tiny  moving 
specks,  which  he  knew  were  canoes  passing  to  and  fro 
between  the  Jztec  City  and  the  shore,  or  engaged  in 
fishing. 

As  they  came  into  the  village  they  were  met  by  the 
young  sailor  Frank,  who  had  been  anxiously  awaiting 
Tom's  return  for  some  hours. 

"  The  captain  is  very  ill,  sir,  so  ill  that  the  priest 
thinks  he  cannot  last  through  the  night.  And  he  wants 
to  see  you." 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  115 

Throwing  down  his  birds,  and  giving  his  gun  to  Toa, 
Tom,  with  Frank,  set  off  towards  the  mission-house, 
which  was  a  mile  distant,  and  half-way  up  the  verdured 
side  of  a  spur  of  the  mountain  he  had  just  descended. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

The  old  priest  met  Tom  and  the  seaman  as  they  stepped 
on  the  verandah  of  the  neat,  trim-looking  mission- 
house. 

"  I  am  glad,  very  glad,  that  you  have  come,"  he  said 
to  Tom,  "  Captain  Christie  is  so  ill  that  I  fear  for  him 
very  much.  He  brightened  up  after  he  had  seen  Mr. 
Clancy  and  the  American  captain  this  morning,  but  at 
noon  and  afterwards  he  had  several  fainting  fits.  When 
he  recovered  from  the  last  he  asked  for  you,  and  now  he 
wishes  to  see  Mr.  Clancy  again.  I  have  sent  for  him,  and 
expect  him  here  in  a  few  minutes.  Come  in  and  see 
him." 

Christie  was  reclining  on  a  cane  lounge  in  the  priest's 
sitting-room,  and  his  usually  florid  face  was  now  deathly 
pale.  Extending  his  hand  to  Tom  he  enquired  if  Clancy 
was  coming. 

"  He  will  be  here  in  a  few  minutes.  Captain  Christie." 

"  Ah,  that  is  well,  I  wish  to  see  him — ^he  cannot  come 

ii6 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  117 

too  soon.  Tom,  I  expect  I  shall  slip  my  cable  before  to- 
morrow's sun — in  fact  I  know  I  shall — and  I  have  much 
to  say  to  him ;  "  he  smiled  feebly,  "  that  is  to  say  it  is 
much  for  me,  for  talking  is  difficult  and  painful." 

"  Then  do  not  talk  to  me,  Captain,"  said  Tom,  who 
was  deeply  distressed  at  the  unmistakable  signs  of 
suffering  on  the  big  man's  face. 

"  No,  Tom,  I  shall  not  have  much  to  say  to  you  ;  but 
in  my  despatch  box  in  my  cabin  there  is  a  letter  for  you. 
When  I  am  gone  Clancy  will  give  it  to  you.  Read  it,  it 
is  the  story  of  my  life.  I  wrote  it  nearly  a  week  ago, 
after  I  had  my  worst  attack,  and  when  I  began  to  feel 
that  I  had  not  much  time  before  me.  And  I  wanted 
you  to  know,  after  I  am  dead,  that  the  man  who  pirated 
the  Warrigal  was  not  altogether  bad." 

Tom  pressed  his  hand.  "  Can  nothing  at  all  be  done 
for  you,  sir  ?  Cannot  the  priest,  who  is  a  doctor,  help 
you " 

"  No,  lad,  no.  Nothing  can  be  done  for  me."  He 
paused.  "  I  sent  for  you,  Tom,  to  say  good-bye — for 
even  if  I  recovered  we  should  have  to  part,  for  I  have 
arranged  with  Captain  Seaton  for  your  saloon  passage 
to  Sydney  in  the  Aztec  City ;  she  will  sail  in  a  few 
days." 

"  I  shall  not  leave  you  Captain  Christie.  I  could  not 
— as  I  see  you  now.  And  you  have  always  been  very 
good  to  me." 


1 1 8  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

The  man's  eyes  gleamed  with  pleasure.  "  Ah,  it 
does  me  good  to  hear  you  say  that,  Tom.  But  it  must 
not  be.  You  will  obey  my  wishes  in  this  matter,  and 
then  some  day — after  you  have  read  my  story — ^you  will 
forgive  me  for  tearing  you  away  from  your  home  so 
cruelly." 

"  I  forgave  you  long  ago  for  that.  And  much  as  I 
wish  to  return  to  Australia  I  can  wait.  A  month  or 
two  more  will  make  no  difference  now  that  my  aunt  and 
Sabbie  know  that  I  am  well  and  that " 

Christie  shook  his  head. 

"  I  cannot  leave  you  when  you  are  so  ill,"  resumed 
Tom  so  resolutely  that  Christie  sighed. 

"  You  must,  Tom — it  is  your  duty  to  go,  and  mine  to 
see  that  you  go." 

"  Who  is  to  navigate  the  Warrigal  to  Valparaiso 
when — I  mean  if " 

"  When  I  am  dead  ?  That  is  all  arranged,  Tom. 
Captain  Seaton  is  lending  his  second  mate  to  me — or  I 
should  say  my  comrade  Clancy." 

Tom  was  silent,  and  an  irresistible  feeling  of  dis- 
appointment swept  over  him.  Christie  saw  it  in  his 
face,  and  sighed  again. 

**  You  see,  Tom," — he  began,  when  he  was  interrupted 
by  loud  cries  in  the  native  tongue  from  without,  and  then 
he  and  Tom  heard  the  priest  speaking  ;  he  was  asking 
what  was  the   matter.       A  chorus  of  excited   voices 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  119 

answered  him,  and  in  a  few  moments  he  entered  the 
sitting-room  very  hurriedly. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  father  ?  "  said  Christie  quickly, 
raising  himself  on  his  couch.  "  Why  is  not  Mr.  Clancy 
here  ?  " 

The  old  -phre  placed  his  hand  gently  but  firmly  on  the 
seaman's  forehead.  "  Lie  down,  my  friend.  Mr. 
Clancy  cannot  be  far  off  now,  for  he  landed  on  the  beach 
ten  minutes  since,  and  is  now  climbing  the  path.  But 
the  American  steamer  is  on  fire,  and  is,  I  fear,  doomed, 
for  there  is  a  vast  body  of  flame  to  be  seen." 

Christie,  with  his  seaman's  instincts  to  render  assist- 
ance brought  into  sudden  life,  sprang  from  his  couch, 
and  staggered  to  the  door  ;  ere  he  could  reach  it  he  fell 
heavily  and  for  some  minutes  remained  unconscious. 

As  soon  as  he  was  sufficiently  recovered,  Tom  and  the 
priest,  assisted  by  some  natives,  carried  his  burly  figure 
back  to  the  couch,  and  then  gave  him  half  a  tumblerful 
of  brandy  and  water.     He  drank  it  eagerly. 

"  It  is  no  use,  father,"  he  muttered,  "  I  can  do  no- 
thing.    My  head  swims.     Can  you  see  her,  Tom  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  not  from  here,  but  she  must  be  burning  fast, 
for  the  whole  harbour  is  lit  up,  and  standing  on  the 
verandah  we  can  hear  the  crackling  and  roaring  of  the 
flames." 

"  God  help  those  on  board — ^with  such  a  crew  !  Seaton 
told  me  that  he  feared  they  would  some  day  set  the  ship 


I20  The  Adventures  of  a  Sufer  car  go 

on  fire,"  and  the  big  man's  hands  clenched  in  angry 
impotence. 

Presently  in  came  Tom's  friend,  the  girl  Tero,  with  the 
news  that  two  of  the  steamer's  boats,  and  a  number  of 
canoes  were  leaving  the  burning  vessel  crowded  with 
people. 

"  Thank  God  for  that,"  said  Pere  Leblond,  as  he  put 
on  his  hat,  "  I  will  go  to  the  shore  and  meet  them. 
Ah,  here  is  Mr.  Clancy." 

"  Can  we  help  that  steamer  in  any  way,  Clancy  ?  " 
was  Christie's  first  question,  as  the  engineer,  sitting 
beside  him,  took  his  hand. 

"  No.  She's  alight  from  stem  to  stern,  and  all  her 
superstructure  has  gone  already.  When  I  was  half- 
way up  the  path  I  saw  our  two  boats  pulling  for  her, 
and  her  own  and  a  lot  of  canoes  as  well  coming  away 
crowded  with  people,  so  I  don't  think  any  lives  will  be 
lost.  Don't  trouble  about  her,  Jim.  How  are  you 
now  ?  "  and  he  looked  anxiously  in  the  sick  man's 
face. 

"  Better  for  your  coming,  Terence,"  and  then  he  turned 
to  Tom. 

"  My  poor  lad,  I  am  sorry  for  you,"  meaning  that  the 
burning  of  the  Aztec  City  had  destroyed  his  chance  of 
returning  to  Australia. 

"  Don't  trouble  about  me,  I  beg  of  you,  Captain 
Christie,"  said  Tom  earnestly.     "  Now  as  you  want  to 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo       .  121 

talk  to  Mr,  Clancy,  I  think  I  will  go  down  to  the  village 
and  get  a  canoe  to  take  me  off  to  the  Warrigal,  and  find 
out  all  that  is  happening." 

"  Do,  and  come  back  as  quickly  as  you  can,"  said 
Clancy.  "  Tell  the  hands  that  I  shall  be  back  in  an 
hour  or  so." 

Running  down  the  narrow  mountain  path,  which  was 
illumined  not  only  by  the  moon,  but  by  the  glare  from 
the  burning  steamer,  Tom  soon  reached  the  village, 
which  he  found  in  a  state  of  wild  commotion,  for  the 
escaped  passengers  and  the  crew  had  just  landed,  and 
were  taken  to  the  various  houses  by  the  sympathetic 
natives,  who  thronged  around  them.  Among  the 
terrified  passengers  were  five  or  six  ladies,  whom  Tom 
at  once  guessed  to  be  some  of  the  theatrical  party. 
Two  of  them,  who  were  in  a  fainting  condition,  were 
being  carried  by  the  male  members  of  the  company. 
As  he  pushed  his  way  through  the  excited  natives,  Tom 
heard  the  voice  of  the  chief  officer  of  the  steamer,  Mr. 
Thoreau,  cry  out  in  menacing  tones  : 

"  Back  into  that  boat  again,  you  mongrel  curs ! 
There  may  be  some  one  still  on  board,  or  floating  about 
the  harbour  on  wreckage.  There  are  three  of  the  stoke- 
hold hands  missing." 

"  Man  de  boat  yerself,  me  gallant  count,"  replied  a 
mocking  voice,  "  we  boys  don't  take  any  orders  from 
you   now.     We've  come  on  shore  to   be  gentlemen," 


122  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

A  pistol  shot,  dulled  by  the  clamour  of  the  natives, 
sounded,  and  Tom  saw  one  of  a  group  of  half-a-dozen 
men  fall  upon  the  sand,  the  rest  turned  and  fled  among 
the  coconut  trees  followed  by  bullets  from  Thoreau's 
revolver.  Tom  ran  up  to  the  fallen  man,  and  saw  that 
he  was  dead.  There  was  a  bullet  hole  through  his  fore- 
head. 

"  Don't  trouble  about  him,  my  friend,"  said  the 
American  as  he  reloaded  his  pistol,  then  as  he  came  closer 
he  recognised  Tom  as  one  of  Captain  Seaton's  morning 
visitors. 

"  Where  is  Captain  Seaton  ?  "  asked  Tom. 

"  Dead.  He,  the  second  mate,  and  the  boatswain, 
were  shot  by  the  crew  just  before  supper.  The  rest  of 
them  managed  in  some  way  to  set  free  the  twelve  men 
we  had  in  irons,  and  in  the  fighting  that  followed  Captain 
Seaton  and  the  others  were  killed.  Before  this,  however, 
the  mutineers  had  already  set  the  ship  on  fire  in  the 
'tween  decks,  and  I  and  those  few  of  the  crew  who  stood 
to  me  had  a  hard  time  to  save  the  lives  of  those  of  the 
passengers  who  were  still  on  board.  Luckily,  we  had 
had  all  our  boats  lowered,  and  two  of  them  were  along- 
side— the  others  had  been  taken  on  shore  by  some  of  the 
passengers,  who  meant  to  remain  for  the  night." 

As  he  was  speaking  Pere  Leblond  came  up,  accom- 
panied by  a  number  of  natives,  who  offered  to  man  the 
officer's  boat  and  take  him  out  to  the  burning  steamer, 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  123 

although  they  were  certain,  they  said,  that  if  there  had 
been  any  more  survivors  they  would  have  been  rescued 
by  the  numerous  canoes  still  paddling  about  in  the 
vicinity. 

"  Very  well,  sir,"  said  Thoreau  to  the  priest,  "  I  shall 
not  trouble  about  making  any  search.  I  thank  you  very 
much.  Will  you  ask  some  one  to  get  me  a  drink  of  water. 
I  can  scarcely  speak." 

In  a  moment  or  two  he  had  satisfied  his  raging  thirst, 
and  then  declining  the  good  father's  invitation  to  come 
to  the  mission-house,  on  the  ground  that  he  wished  to 
see  if  any  of  the  passengers  were  missing,  he,  accompanied 
by  Tom  and  the  priest,  went  from  house  to  house, 
finding  out  who  were  the  people  brought  in,  and  how  they 
were  being  cared  for.  In  one  house  they  found  one  of 
the  mutineers,  surrounded  by  natives,  lying  upon  the 
matted  floor,  dying  from  a  bullet  wound.  The  priest 
knelt  beside  him,  cross  in  hand. 

Thoreau  watched  in  silence,  and  listened  to  the  old 
man's  whispered  words,  to  which  there  was  no  response, 
for  the  man  was  past  speaking.  Presently  Pere  Leblond 
rose. 

"  He  is  dead,  M'sieur  le  captaine." 

Thoreau  nodded.  "  It  is  as  well,  father.  Had  he 
lived  it  would  only  have  been  for  the  gallows." 

Leaving  Thoreau  (who  was  now  joined  by  two  or 
three  of  the  crew,  who  promised  obedience  to  him)  to 


1 24  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

attend  to  the  welfare  of  the  passengers,  Tom  and  the 
priest  returned  to  the  mission-house.  Clancy  was 
sitting  beside  Christie's  still  figure,  his  face  buried  in  his 
hands. 


CHAPTER   XV 

Under  the  wide  spreading  branches  of  a  lofty  masoi  tree, 
which  stood  on  the  verge  of  one  of  the  many  mountain 
spurs  overlooking  the  bay,  Tom  was  sitting  alone,  think- 
ing of  James  Christie  and  of  the  story  that  the  dead  man 
had  written,  and  which  lay  beside  him  on  the  leaf- 
carpeted  ground. 

•  •••••• 

Three  days  had  passed  since  the  captain  of  the  Warri- 
gal  had  died,  and  the  fire-gutted  hull  of  the  American 
steamer  had  sunk,  a  charred  and  blackened  mass,  to  lie 
amidst  the  coral  forest  at  the  bottom  of  the  deep  waters 
of  Ahurei ;  and  in  those  three  days  many  things  had 
happened,  and  Tom  and  Clancy  had  taken  no  small 
share  therein. 

In  the  first  place,  Thoreau,  aided  by  the  natives  and 
some  of  the  hands  from  the  Warrigal  had  captured  and 
disarmed  all  the  mutinous  members  of  the  crew  of  the 
Aztec  City.  They  were  brought  into  the  village  square, 
and  placed  upon  the  ground,  bound  hand  and  foot  with 

125 


126  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

native  cinnet ;  and  then  left  there  under  guard  with 
their  backs  against  coco-palms  for  some  hours  until  the 
entire  population  of  the  island  were  assembled  from  the 
various  villages,  all  wondering  what  was  to  happen,  for 
the  natives  had  heard  that  the  captain  and  two  of  his 
officers  had  been  killed,  and  that  Thoreau  had  shot  two 
of  the  mutineers. 

Among  those  who  came  to  witness  the  proceedings 
were  the  members  of  the  theatrical  company — five 
ladies  and  nine  men,  and  Tom  noticed  among  the 
former  an  extremely  beautiful,  but  delicate-looking 
girl,  with  big  hazel  eyes,  who  clung  to  the  arm  of  a  fat 
old  actress  (with  a  kindly  Irish  face)  whom  he  had  heard 
addressed  as  "  Auntie  Riley,"  by  her  associates. 

Presently  from  one  of  the  houses  there  stepped  forth 
the  head  chief  of  the  island,  an  old  bald-headed,  but 
vigorous  man  of  seventy  years  of  age.  Beside  him 
walked  Father  Leblond  and  Thoreau,  and  as  the  muti- 
neers saw  the  expression  on  the  officer's  dark  sunburned 
face,  they  felt  their  hearts  sink — for  they  knew  the  man. 

Standing  in  the  midst  of  the  circle  formed  by  the 
people,  the  old  priest,  after  one  shuddering  glance  of 
repulsion  at  the  ruffianly  faces  of  the  bound  men,  raised 
his  hand  to  command  silence. 

"  Men  of  Rapa  !  Look  at  these  eleven  men  bound 
hand  and  foot,  and  hear  from  me  of  the  crimes  they  have 
done.     They  last  night  rose  against  their  captain,  and 


The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercar go  127 

slew  him  and  two  of  his  arikii  (officers).  This  did  they 
80  that  they  might  get  possession  of  the  casks  of  grog 
which  were  in  the  belly  of  the  ship,  and  of  the  money 
which  was  in  the  care  of  the  captain.  And  in  their 
madness  and  rage  they  set  fire  to  the  ship  in  many 
places,  so  that  now  it  hath  sunk,  and  lieth  at  the  bottom 
of  the  sea,  and  all  the  koloa  (merchandise)  with  which  she 
was  loaded  is  destroyed,  and  many  people  will  suffer 
poverty  through  their  wickedness." 

He  paused  a  moment  and  a  low  murmur  of  anger 
came  from  the  natives,  who  looked  threateningly  at  the 
mutineers. 

Thoreau,  who  had  stepped  back,  and  was  now  standing 
with  Tom  and  Clancy,  moved  his  feet  restlessly,  "  I 
wish  the  old  gentleman  would  hurry  up,"  he  said  in  low 
tones  ;   "  but  I  suppose  he  is  doing  his  best." 

"  Thirteen  of  these  evil-hearted  men  were  there  last 
night,"  resumed  the  old  man,  raising  his  voice  to  its 
highest  pitch,  "  but  two  of  them  were  killed  by  this 
ariki  "  (he  turned  and  pointed  to  Thoreau) — "  he  killed 
them  because  they  disputed  his  authority.  Whether  he 
did  right  or  not  in  the  sight  of  God  I  cannot  tell,  but  yet 
he  is,  I  believe,  a  just  man,  and  it  is  not  for  me  nor  ye 
to  question  what  he  hath  done.  The  laws  for  the 
sailor  and  the  soldier  are  different  from  the  law  for  the 
people. 

"  Now  as  for  these  eleven  men.     We  cannot  keep  them 


128  Th e  Adv entures  of  a  Sup ercarg o 

bound  for  days  and  days  and  moons  and  moons,  until 
we  be  rid  of  them  should  an  English  or  French  ship-of- 
war  come  here.  Neither  can  we  give  them  liberty  to 
roam  about  Rapa  and  make  mischief. 

"  This  is  what  the  chief  Patari,  and  the  white  ariki 
Toro  (Thoreau)  and  I  think  is  best  to  be  done.  They 
shall  be  put  together  in  the  little  valley  of  Ma-hi-rua, 
where  a  house  shall  be  built  for  them  this  day,  and  there 
must  they  stay  till  a  ship-of-war  comes.  Food  shall 
they  have  in  plenty,  but  if  they  put  foot  out  of  bounds 
of  the  valley  they  do  so  at  peril  of  their  lives.  Is  it 
well  ?  » 

A  loud  chorus  of  Maitai !  Maitai !  (good  !  good  !) 
came  from  the  assembled  natives,  and  then  Thoreau, 
at  the  priest's  request,  stepped  forward  and  addressed 
the  mutineers.  He  was  to  explain  to  them  the  conditions 
on  which  they  could  have  their  freedom.  But  first  of 
all  he  signed  to  the  natives  who  were  guarding  them  to 
cut  their  bonds  and  give  them  water,  for  they  were 
suffering  from  thirst — ^not  from  the  inhumanity  of  the 
natives,  but  at  Thoreau's  request. 

"  You  darned,  infernal  cut-throats.  Instead  of  hang- 
ing the  lot  of  you,  or  shooting  you  like  the  rats  you  are, 
I  am  going  to  give  you  a  chance  for  your  lives.  The 
natives  are  putting  you  into  a  little  valley  three  miles 
from  here,  where  you  will  be  supplied  with  food.  Put 
a  foot  outside  the  marked  boundary  of  cinnet  cord  you 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  129 

will  see  there,  and  you  are  dead  men.  The  natives  will 
watch  you,  and  I  have  promised  them  ten  dollars  for 
every  one  of  your  dead,  dirty  carcasses  they  bring  to  me. 
Get !  "  and  he  turned  away  from  them  with  savage 
contempt,  and  as  he  ceased  speaking,  and  at  a  sign  from 
the  old  chief  Patari,  a  number  of  natives  silently  closed 
in  upon  the  white  seamen,  and  hurried  them  away  to 
the  valley  of  Ma-hi-rua. 

Then  Thoreau,  who  seemed  bent  upon  business, 
whispered  a  few  words  to  Pere  Leblond,  who  nodded  his 
head  and  smiled. 

"  My  son,  I  can  refuse  you  nothing,"  he  said  in  French, 
"  you  are  irresistible,  and  I  feel  that  you  mean  well  to 
the  young  lady,  and  that  it  will  be  best  for  her  to  be 
away  from  that  man." 

Thoreau,  a  grim  smile  for  a  moment  moving  his 
quiet,  but  somewhat  saturine  features,  stepped  up  to 
where  the  group  of  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the 
Imperial  Dramatic  Company  were  gathered  together, 
and  addressed  himself  to  the  manager,  a  fat,  tall  and 
dark-faced,  hook-nosed  man,  who  bore  the  name  of 
Gsurcy  d'Epinasse. 

"  Now,  Mr.  Courcy  d'Epinasse,  or  Moses  Solomons, 
or  whatever  is  your  real  name  I  have  a  chance  of  talking 
to  you  pretty  freely  in  the  presence  of  your  company. 
Poor  Captain  Seaton  always  said  he  would  give  a  month's 
pay  for  the  pleasure  of  kicking  you,  for  he  thought,  as  I 

9 


130  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

think,  that  you  are  the  two  ends  and  bight  of  a  low-down 
scoundrel.  Now  Seaton  is  dead,  and  therefore  you  are 
safe  from  him,  but  I  have  formed  myself  into  a  com- 
mittee of  one,  and  I  am  going  to  let  myself  out  upon  you 
a  little  for  the  benefit  of  your  company.  You  thought 
that  we  didn't  know  that  you  beat  your  wife,  and  that 
you  have  been  persecuting  Miss  Rawlinson  with  your 
beastly  attentions  ever  since  she  was  so  unfortunate  as 
to  join  your  company  in  'Frisco  six  months  ago.  But 
we  did  know.  And  now,  my  fat  friend,  I  am  going  to 
give  you  a  hammering.  Ladies,  will  you  kindly  with- 
draw. Mrs.  Riley,  will  you  and  Miss  Rawlinson  accept 
the  hospitality  of  Father  Leblond — it  is  his  wish  that 
you  do  so  during  the  time  we  may  have  to  remain  on 
the  island.  Now,  my  greasy  friend,  come  down  to  the 
beach.'* 

A  young,  pale-faced  actor  darted  in  front  of  him. 

"  No,  no,  Mr.  Thoreau,  let  me  settle  with  the  brute. 
It  will  add  five  years  to  my  life." 

Thoreau  glanced  with  satirical  amusement  first  at 
the  slender-framed  young  actor,  and  then  at  the  burly 
figure  of  the  scowling  Jewish  manager,  who  was  en- 
deavouring to  make  a  retreat,  but  was  impeded  by  the 
male  members  of  the  company,  who  were  delighted  at 
the  prospect  of  seeing  him  receive  a  thrashing. 

"  No,  Mr.  Courtney,"  said  Thoreau,  "  I  cannot 
deprive  myself  of  such  a  pleasure,  so  don't  ask  me.     Now, 


The  Adventures  of  a  Sufer  car  go  131 

ladies,  you  must  retire.  Come,  Moses,  or  Isaacs,  or 
whatever  your  name  may  be." 

The  manager,  gripped  by  the  iron  hands  of  Clancy  and 
Toa,  was  led  to  the  beach,  and,  as  he  refused  to  fight, 
was  kicked,  first  by  Thoreau,  and  then  by  the  members 
of  his  company,  who  hated  him  to  a  man  for  his  meanness 
and  brutality. 

Then  Thoreau,  who  had  managed  to  save  some  cigars, 
passed  them  around  to  the  company,  and  said  as  they 
watched  the  writhing  figure  of  the  manager  of  The 
Imperial  Dramatic  Company,  lying  upon  the  sand  : 

"  I  feel  real  good  to-night,  boys.  I  have  saved  all 
the  specie  that  was  on  board  the  old  Aztec,  have  put  out 
two  of  the  men  who  murdered  poor  Captain  Seaton  and 
Mr.  Mason  and  the  boatswain,  have  seen  that  low-down 
bully  of  a  Jew  manager  of  yours  kicked  by  his  own 
company,  and  am  to  be  married  at  the  mission-house  to- 
morrow to  Miss  Rawlinson.     Nine  o'clock  is  the  time." 

A  cheer  broke  from  the  company,  a  cheer  in  which  the 
pale-faced  young  actor  did  not  join — ^for  he  was  in  love 
with  the  girl  with  the  hazel  eyes. 

•  •••••• 

And  of  all  these  things  Tom  was  thinking  as  he  lay 
under  the  shade  of  the  great  masoi  tree. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

Just  as  Tom  was  about  to  return  to  the  village  he  heard 
thej sound  of  footsteps  approaching,  and,  presently, 
Thoreau,  his  two  days'  bride,  and  Clancy  appeared. 
They  had  been  directed  to  his  retreat  by  the  girl  Tero, 
who  had  pointed  out  the  spot  to  him  early  in  the  morning, 
and  then  left  him  alone  to  read  Christie's  story. 

"  Tom,"  said  the  Irishman,  "  I  came  on  shore  to  look 
for  you,  and  on  the  way  up  I  met  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thoreau. 
I'm  sorry  to  disturb  you,  but  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will 
come  on  board  for  an  hour  or  so." 

"  I  was  just  leaving  to  come  to  you,"  replied  Tom 
gravely,  as  he  put  Christie's  manuscript  in  his  pocket, 
and  then  leaving  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thoreau  to  themselves 
— which  was  what  they  no  doubt  desired — he  and  Clancy 
returned  to  the  village,  and  then  went  off  to  the  Warri- 
gal. 

"  Tom,"  said  Clancy,  as  they  seated  themselves  at 

the  cabin  table,  "  now  that  you  know  the  story  of  the 

wrongs  of  James  Christie  and  myself,  can  you  wonder  at 

132 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  133 

our  revenging  ourselves  upon  the  scoundrel  who  made  us 
suffer  as  we  suffered." 

"  No,  I  do  not  wonder.  You  have  both  suffered 
cruelly,  and  I  think  that  this  old  villain  of  a  Tobias 
Pattermore  deserves  to  lose  his  ship  and  go  to  prison 
for  the  rest  of  his  wicked  life.  But  then,  Qancy,  you 
must  not  forget  that  you  and  all  those  with  you  are 
pirates,  and  if  you  are  captured  you  know  what  it 
means." 

The  Irishman  nodded.  "  Yes,  ten  years'  penal 
servitude  at  least  for  me — seven  for  the  others."  He 
paused,  and  then  said  very  slowly.  "  Tom,  now  you 
know  our  whole  story,  and  how  truly  sorry  both  poor 
Jim  Christie  and  I  were  for  you.  We  acted  cruelly,  but 
we  were  desperate  men." 

"  Say  no  more  about  that — ^it  has  passed,  and  I  bear 
no  resentment.  And,  what  is  more,  I  decided  this 
morning  to  tell  you  that  I  am  willing  to  navigate  the 
steamer  to  any  South  American  port,  if  you  will  sign  a 
statement  to  the  effect  that  I  had  no  hand  in  the  Sydney 
business,  but  you  must  get  the  hands  to  witness  it." 

Clancy's  eyes  sparkled.  "  Indeed  I  will !  To  tell 
you  the  exact  truth,  Tom,  I  don't  know  what  on  earth 
I  should  do  if  you  cut  adrift  from  me.  I  daresay  I 
could  blunder  along  somehow,  and  hit  the  South  Ameri- 
can coast  somewhere,  but  against  that  is  the  very  great 
likelihood  of  our  knocking  up  against  some  of  these  low- 


134  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

lying  coral  islands  in  the  night  and  losing  the  ship." 

"  Just  so — there  is  a  very  great  risk.  But  first  of  all, 
tell  me  what  you  intend  to  do  when  we  get  to 
Valparaiso  ?  " 

"  Sell  the  ship  and  cargo  to  the  Government.  The 
Warrigal  is  just  the  sort  of  steamer  Chile  should  want 
now,  that  country  is  going  to  war  with  Peru,  and  she  is 
worth  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand  pounds,  for  she 
is  almost  new,  and  very  fast.  And  then  the  cargo  is 
worth  between  thirty  and  forty  thousand  pounds.  I'll 
show  you  the  manifest." 

He  went  to  his  cabin  and  returned  with  the  document, 
and  then  he  and  Tom  together  went  over  the  contents. 

*'  You  see,  Tom,  that  there  are  over  five  thousand 
rifles  of  various  kinds — ^principally  Sniders,  with  nearly 
a  million  rounds  of  ammunition.  Now,  if  we  can  only 
get  along  either  to  Valparaiso  or  Callao,  I  can  sell  these 
arms  to  either  the  Peruvians  or  the  Chilians  at  almost 
any  price  I  ask.  The  Chilians  have  the  most  money, 
and  so  I  think  that  Valparaiso  will  be  the  best  place  for 
us." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  so.  And  I  shall  be  glad  of  it,  as  I 
have  a  friend  in  Chile  named  Stenhouse.  I  am  looking 
forward  to  the  expression  on  his  fat  face  when  he  sees 
me.  Now  look  here,  Clancy,  I  know  that  I  am  doing 
wrong  in  having  any  further  hand  in  your  venture — 
*  venture  '  sounds  more   polite   than  *  piracy,'  just  as 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  135 

*  gentleman  of  the  road  '  sounds  better  than  *  highway- 
man,' but  if  you  wish  it  I'll  copy  out  all  of  that  manifest 
into  Spanish.  I  daresay  I  shall  make  a  few  mistakes  in 
the  names  of  some  of  the  goods,  but  it  won't  matter 
much." 

Clancy  was  delighted.  "  We'll  start  at  it  right 
away — ^no,  not  at  once,  for  I  shall  now  write  out  that 
statement,  and  get  the  hands  to  witness  it." 

"  Very  well.  I'll  go  on  deck,  and  soon  as  you  are 
finished,  you  can  give  me  a  call." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  crew  were  assembled  in  the 
saloon,  and  Clancy,  after  reading  the  "  statement " 
concerning  Tom,  asked  them  to  sign  it.  This  they  did 
most  willingly,  even  to  Pohiri,  the  Savage  Island  sailor, 
for  Tom  was  a  great  favourite  with  all  on  board. 

Then  after  Pohiri  had  made  his  "  cross  " — ^his  hand 
being  guided  by  Tom,  who  then  went  on  deck  again — 
Clancy  addressed  the  men,  and  told  them  what  his 
intentions  were  in  regard  to  the  Warrigal^  and  the  dis- 
posal of  her  cargo. 

"  Boys,"  he  said,  "  we  must  stand  to  each  other  in 
the  future  as  we  have  done  in  the  past,  when  we  collared 
the  steamer.  Captain  Christie  is  gone,  and  now  I  am 
skipper  and  chief  engineer  as  well,  and  you  must  stand 
to  me  as  you  did  to  him.  Young  Mr.  Denison  is  going 
to  navigate  for  us,  and  I  want  you  to  treat  him  with 
proper  respect  and  not  call  him  *  Tom,'  as  I  have  heard 


136  *         The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

some  of  you  doing  at  times.     He  is  '  Mr.  Denison,  the 

Supercargo,'  and  I  am  '  Captain  Clancy,'  and  by ^if 

any  one  of  you  forget  that,  he  will  be  sorry  for  it." 

He  scanned  the  face  of  each  man  in  turn,  and  then 
taking  up  a  small  canvas  bag  before  him,  cut  the  string, 
and  poured  out  a  stream  of  sovereigns  upon  the  table. 

"  Here  are  a  thousand  of  old  Tobias  Pattermore's 
sovereigns,  meant  for  Fiji.  You  know  that  Captain 
Christie  told  every  one  of  you  that  you  would  have  a 
hundred  each  when  we  got  to  Callao  or  Valparaiso. 
Well,  the  skipper  is  dead,  but  before  he  died  he  asked  me 
to  give  you  your  money  before  we  left  Rapa.  Here, 
Rockett,  and  you,  Sam — ^you  are  the  two  oldest  men — 
count  out  a  hundred  yellow  boys  for  each  man — that 
makes  nine  hundred — ^the  other  hundred  goes  back  into 
the  bag  until  we  get  to  Valparaiso.  Then,  as  soon  as  I 
sell  the  ship  and  cargo  to  the  Dagoes,  I'll  give  every  man 
another  hundred  pounds  in  Spanish  or  American  gold. 
Satisfied  ?  " 

"  Aye,  aye,  Captain  Clancy,"  said  Rockett,  as  he  and 
the  big  sailor,  Sam,  divided  the  money.  Then  he  asked, 
as  he  and  his  companions  were  about  to  leave  the  saloon, 
what  were  "  Captain  "  Clancy's  orders  ? 

"  Make  ready  for  sea.  We  leave  at  daylight  to- 
morrow." 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir." 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  137 

As  Tom  stood  on  the  bridge  waiting  for  the  boat  to 
take  him  on  shore  to  say  good-bye  to  Pere  Leblond  and 
Thoreau,  Rockett  came  up  and  touched  his  cap. 

"  The  boat  is  ready,  Mr.  Supercargo." 


CHAPTER   XVII 

Once  more  the  Warrigal  was  steaming  eastward  over  a 
sea  now  flecked  with  the  white  horses  of  a  strong  south- 
east breeze,  keeping  an  E.  by  N.  course,  so  as  to  skirt 
the  westerly  oceanic  current  until  Easter  Island  was 
sighted,  when  a  direct  course  would  be  steered  for 
Valparaiso. 

It  was  with  a  feeling  of  sincere  regret  that  Tom  had 
bade  good-bye  to  the  kind  old  priest,  and  Thoreau  and 
his  fair  young  wife  ;  but  he  found  it  hardest  of  all  to 
part  from  his  friend  Toa  and  his  beautiful  sister,  Tero, 
for  they  both  evinced  such  profound  grief  that  Tom  was 
not  only  sorrowful  but  distressed  to  witness  it. 

"  Never  more  shall  we  see  each  others'  faces  Tamu,"(i) 
said  the  girl  sadly  through  her  sobs,  Pohiri,  the  Savage 
Islander,  translating  her  words,  for  he  could  speak 
Tahitian,  a  language  very  similar  to  that  spoken  by  the 
people  of  Rapa. 

Tom  asked  Pohiri  to  tell  the  poor  girl  and  her  brother 
that  they  certainly  would  meet  again — ^perhaps  within  a 
year,  for  he  meant  to  return  to  the  South  Sea  Islands  in 

(i)  Tom. 
138 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  1 39 

another  ship  as  a  tuhi  tuhi  (supercargo)  or  trader,  and  if  he 
came  in  the  latter  capacity  he  would  surely  come  to 
Rapa  to  settle,  for  it  was  a  very  beautiful  island,  and  he 
liked  the  people  very  much.  At  this  Tero  dried  her 
tears,  and  her  brother's  handsome  face  beamed  with 
delight.  They  were  the  last  to  leave  the  steamer  and 
from  the  bridge  Tom  could  see  them  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
later,  sitting  in  their  canoe  gazing  sadly  at  the  swiftly 
receding  vessel,  which,  sweeping  around  the  wooded  point 
of  Ahurei  was  at  once  out  of  sight,  leaving  behind 
her  only  a  long  trail  of  black  smoke. 

"  I  wonder  how  Captain  Thoreau  will  get  on,  Tom," 
observed  Clancy ;  "  he  has  his  hands  full  with  that 
theatrical  company,  let  alone  a  mutinous  crew  who 
know  that  he  saved  the  three  thousand  pounds  in  gold 
belonging  to  the  Aztec  City.  Any  one  of  them  would 
murder  him  for  three  thousand  cents  if  he  were  given 
the  chance.  And  then  he  has  a  brand  new  wife  to  look 
after  as  well." 

"  That  ought  to  console  him  for  all  his  worries,"  said 
Tom  with  an  air  of  profound  wisdom.  "  I  like  Captain 
Thoreau,  and  feel  sorry  to  think  I  shall  never  see  him 
again." 

"  One  never  knows.  If  you  have  made  up  your  mind 
for  sailorising  you  may  meet  him.  When  I  was  ten  years 
old  and  at  school  at  Rathmines  in  the  ould  sod,  there  was 
a  red-headed  boy  in  the  same  class  with  me  named  Peter 


140  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

Croly.  I  left  school  when  I  was  eleven,  and  just  twenty 
years  afterwards,  when  I  was  second  engineer  of  a  Hong- 
kong-Penang  steamer  I  had  an  arm  very  badly  blood 
poisoned,  and  was  taken  to  the  hospital  at  Hong-kong. 

"  '  Your  arm  will  have  to  come  off,  my  man,'  says  one 
of  the  doctors  to  me,  looking  at  it  lovingly. 

"  *  If  ye  put  a  knife  on  me,  I'll  have  your  life,  ye 
murtherous  young  butcher,'  says  I.  '  All  it  wants  is  a 
thumping  poultice  of  bran,  mixed  with  the  yolks  of  a 
dozen  eggs.' 

"  Just  then  I  heard  another  voice  say,  '  Don't  be  in 
such  a  hurry,  Saunders.  Let  me  have  a  luk  at  the  mahn,* 
and  then  who  should  come  up  but  red-headed  Peter 
Croly — ^we  knew  each  other  at  once. 

"  '  Get  out,  ye  murdering  Scotch  villain,'  I  said  to  the 
young  doctor,  '  get  out,  or  I'll  do  ye  to  death  this  minute. 
Peter,  me  boy,  stand  to  me.'  And  stand  to  me  he  did, 
and  saved  my  arm." 

For  three  days  the  steamer  made  good  progress,  and 
then  as  she  drew  near  Easter  Island,  the  wind  hauled 
round  to  the  eastward  and  blew  with  so  much  violence 
that  a  heavy  head  sea  soon  arose,  and  the  Warrigal 
began  to  make  such  bad  weather  of  it  that  Clancy 
slowed  down  to  half-speed — had  he  not  done  so  the 
steamer's  decks  would  have  been  swept,  for  she  now 
carried  a  higher  deck-load  of  timber  for  her  furnaces 
than  that  taken  on  board  at  Sunday  Island.     It  con- 


The  Adventures  of  a  Sufer  car  go  141 

sisted  of  thick,  heavy  and  irregularly  shaped  logs  cut  by 
the  natives  of  Rapa,  and  known  as  ngiia  ("  the  hardest 
wood  "),  and  whilst  it  was  an  excellent  fuel,  the  awkward 
shape  of  the  logs  had  made  it  very  difficult  to  stow  them 
securely,  and  their  weight  made  the  steamer  roll  so 
dangerously  that  Tom  at  times  thought  she  would 
"  turn  turtle  "  and  go  to  the  bottom. 

"  We  can't  sacrifice  a  single  log,  Tom,"  said  Clancy 
to  him,  "  there's  over  two  hundred  stowed  away  below 
in  all  parts  of  the  ship,  where  we  could  find  room — in  the 
engine-room,  stokehole,  and  among  the  bunker  coal. 
But  the  worst  of  it  is,  that  in  this  sort  of  weather  we 
cannot  use  as  much  of  it  as  I  should  like,  and  so  are 
digging  into  our  coal  again — ^it  is  impossible  to  get  such 
crooked  logs  through  the  furnace  doors  when  we  are 
rolling  and  pitching  like  this.  If  it  gets  any  worse  we 
shall  have  to  shift  some  more  of  this  deck-load  below 
some  way,  or  else  we  shall  have  trouble.  The  forehold 
is  full  to  the  coamings  with  casks  and  cases  of  liquor, 
and  all  sorts  of  goods,  but  it  will  be  better  for  us  to  sling 
the  lot  overboard,  and  dump  the  firewood  down.  The 
wood  is  worth  more  to  us  than  that  part  of  the  cargo. 
And  if  we  lost  our  wood  fuel  we  should  have  to  put  in  to 
Juan  Fernandez  to  get  more,  and  we  shall  not  have 
enough  coal  to  take  us  there  if  this  sort  of  thing  keeps 
up." 

That  night  was  an  anxious  and  trying  one  for  all  on 


142  The  Adventures  of  a  Sufer cargo 

board  the  fFarrigal,  for  although  the  wind  did  not 
increase  in  strength,  the  sea  was  something  fearful  even  to 
look  at,  and  huge  volumes  of  water  every  now  and  then 
descended  upon  the  decks  and  smothered  her.  So  much 
water  found  its  way  below  that  the  stokehole  plates 
were  covered,  and  all  through  the  night  the  donkey  pump 
clanked  and  clattered  madly  to  save  the  furnace  fires 
from  being  extinguished.  To  have  tried  to  heave-to  under 
such  conditions  would  have  been  courting  destruction — 
there  was  nothing  else  to  be  done  but  to  keep  on,  head  to 
the  sea.  Rockett,  an  old  and  experienced  seaman, 
twice  urged  Clancy  to  let  the  deck-load  of  fuel  go,  so 
that  the  steamer  might  be  hove-to  with  safety,  but  he 
refused. 

"  As  long  as  we  can  keep  the  fires  alight  we  can  do," 
he  said,  "  if  the  stokehole  is  flooded  the  wood  will  go 
adrift  of  its  own  accord,  mighty  quick,  once  she  falls  off 
into  the  trough  of  the  sea.  But  I  mean  to  save  that 
wood." 

When  dawn  broke  the  sea  was  still  running  mountains 
high,  but  was  fast  settling  down  into  a  long  steady 
sweep,  and  the  wind  had  sensibly  decreased,  and  the 
exhausted  stokers  were  enabled  to  get  a  little  rest, 
Clancy,  Tom,  and  the  native  sailor,  Pohiri,  taking  their 
places. 

Soon  after  breakfast  both  wind  and  sea  had  moderated 
to  such  an  extent  that  thirty  tons  of  firewood  were, 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  143 

after  hard  work,  passed  below,  and  the  furnaces  denied 
further  coal ;  and,  as  the  day  wore  on  the  steamer  was 
breasting  the  surging  waves  at  ten  knots  an  hour,  tossing 
up  showers  of  spray  as  her  sharp  cutwater  bows  rushed 
into  the  sweeping  billows.  The  damage  done  to  the 
deck-houses  and  other  parts  of  the  steamer's  super- 
structure was  repaired  as  well  as  could  be  done  without 
a  carpenter,  and  only  the  salt-coated  and  rust-stained 
funnel  and  two  badly  damaged  boats  showed  what  she 
had  passed  through  during  the  night. 

Towards  evening  on  the  third  day  after  the  storm, 
and  when  the  grey  loom  of  Easter  Island  was  in  sight, 
right  ahead,  a  little  red-headed  man,  who  was  now  chief 
engineer  in  place  of  Clancy,  came  on  the  bridge,  and  told 
the  Irishman  that  two  of  his  three  men  were  so  done  up 
that  they  were  lying  down  exhausted. 

"  It's  no  use,  boss,"  he  added,  "  we  can't  go  on  like 
this  for  another  day.  I'm  fairly  cooked  myself,  and 
unless  you  and  Rockett  and  Sam  give  us  a  spell,  I  can't 
keep  up  enough  steam  to  give  us  steerage  way.     That 

^wood  is  all  right  enough,  but  we  can't  get  one  log 

in  five  into  the  furnaces,  it's  that  twisted  and  curled 
like  a  ram's  horns." 

"  How  much  coal  is  left,  Tanker  ?  " 

"  About  forty  ton." 

Clancy  leant  on  the  bridge  rail  and  thought  for  a  few 
moments.     Then  he  called  to  Tom. 


144  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Tom,  do  you  know  if  there  are  many  natives  on 
Easter  Island  f  " 

"  Captain  Christie  told  me  that  there  were  about 
five  hundred." 

"  Quiet  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  quite.     They  are  like  the  Rapa  people." 

"Well,  we'll  have  to  stop  there  and  try  and  get  a 
dozen  or  so  of  them.  The  men  are  breaking  down," 
and  then  he  repeated  what  Tanker  had  just  told  him, 
adding  that  he  (Clancy)  was  a  fool  not  to  have  got  some 
of  the  Rapa  natives. 

Tom  then  told  him  that  Christie,  who  had  twice 
visited  the  island  had  said  that  there  were  two  white 
settlers  there  engaged  in  sheep  and  cattle  breeding,  and 
there  were  several  good  anchorages. 

"  Very  well,  we'll  see  what  can  be  done  in  the  morning. 
Tanker,  tell  those  two  men  to  take  a  good  spell,  and  we'll 
keep  her  going  dead  slow  until  daylight." 

Soon  after  dawn  the  Warrigal  anchored  in  the  road- 
stead of  Hanga  Roa  Bay,  in  sight  of  a  native  village, 
and  Tom  and  Clancy  went  on  shore. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

On  landing  they  were  met  by  a  European  and  a  number 
of  handsome,  light-skinned  natives,  who  received  them 
very  kindly.  The  white  man  invited  them  to  his  house, 
and  on  the  way  thither  told  them  that  he  was  the  mana- 
ger for  the  firm  of  Brander  and  Salmon  of  Tahiti,  who  had 
twenty-five  thousand  sheep  and  cattle  on  the  island. 
Neither  of  the  partners  were  there  then,  they  having 
only  just  left  the  place,  after  a  stay  of  six  months,  and 
returned  to  Tahiti. 

After  the  manager,  whose  name  was  Tate,  had  given 
his  guests  some  refreshment,  he  heard  from  Clancy  the 
reason  of  his  visit  to  the  island,  and  said  he  had  no  doubt 
but  that  he  would  be  able  to  engage  some  natives  as 
seamen  if  they  were  oflFered  good  wages.  Many  of  the 
men  had  served  in  American  whale-ships,  and  were 
fairly  good  sailor-men  if  well  treated. 

"  But  I  must  tell  you  that  you  will  have  some  trouble 

in  getting  them  at  first,  when  you  tell  them  that  the 

Warrigal  is  going  to  South  America.     They  don't  like 

South  America  or  the  Spanish  people  ;   they  have  good 

reason  to  hate  them  after  what  occurred  here  in  1863." 

149  10 


146  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  What  was  that  ?  "  enquired  Clancy. 

**  Three  vessels  under  Peruvian  colours — two  barques 
and  a  brig — anchored  here  on  a  Sunday  morning,  and 
some  hundreds  of  natives — there  were  over  two  thousand 
in  the  various  villages  on  the  island  then — crowded  off  on 
board  in  boats  and  canoes.  As  many  as  possible  were  en- 
ticed below  to  the  cabins,  and  then  suddenly  those  on 
deck  were  attacked  by  the  crews  of  the  ships,  who  made 
them  prisoners,  tumbled  them  into  the  'tween  decks,  and 
leg-ironed  them.  Some  jumped  overboard,  and  tried  to 
escape  in  the  boats  and  canoes,  but  were  nearly  all 
captured  by  the  ship's  boats,  which  had  been  lowered 
and  manned  and  armed  in  readiness.  Some,  who 
resisted,  were  either  shot  or  cut  down. 

**  After  all  those  who  had  been  seized  on  board  had 
been  securely  ironed  in  the  'tween  decks,  seven  boats 
crowded  with  Chileno  and  Peruvian  sailors,  and  officered 
by  Europeans  of  some  low-down  breed,  left  the  ships  and 
landed.  They  captured  every  poor  beggar  they  came 
across,  chasing  them  from  one  village  to  another,  and 
bagged  over  sixty.  With  their  hands  tied  behind  their 
backs  the  wretched  creatures  were  driven  at  the  cutlass 
point  down  to  the  boats  and  taken  on  board.  The  rest 
of  the  people  fled  to  the  interior  of  the  island  and  hid 
among  the  craters  and  ancient  cemeteries,  where  they 
could  not  be  followed. 

"  In  all  there  were  three  hundred  and  seventy  of  them 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  147 

carried  away  by  the  slavers,  who  took  them  to  work  the 
guano  deposits  on  the  Chincha  Islands,  oflF  the  coast 
of  Peru,  where  most  of  them  died  in  slavery  before  France 
and  England  made  the  Peruvian  Government  send  the 
survivors  back.  Those  that  did  return  brought  with 
them  the  small-pox,  which  nearly  exterminated  the  rest 
of  the  population.  So  you  see,  it  is  only  natural  they 
don't  like  Dagoes." 

Clancy  nodded.  "  Quite  so.  But  I  can  assure  you 
that  I'll  treat  well  any  men  you  can  get  me,  give  them  a 
hundred  dollars  each  in  advance,  before  I  leave,  another 
hundred  each  when  we  get  to  Valparaiso,  and  a  free 
passage  back  to  their  home." 

"  That  is  an  offer  they  can't  resist,"  said  Tate,  "  and 
although  they  would  rather  go  anywhere  else  than  to 
South  America,  they  know  well  that  they  will  be  safe 
from  harm  under  the  old  red  flag  of  England.  You  can 
easily  get  ten — or  twenty — ^good  men,  but  not  right  away, 
as  these  people  are  much  attached  to  their  homes,  and 
have  strong  family  ties  and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  and 
there  will  have  to  be  some  feasting  and  farewelling  which 
will  take  a  couple  of  days." 

"  Ah  well,  it's  not  grumbling  I  am,"  said  Clancy 
with  a  laugh,  and  then  he  asked  Tate  if  he  would  get 
some  natives  to  at  once  come  on  board  and  cut  or  saw 
the  troublesome  ngiia  logs  into  lengths  suitable  for  the 
furnaces. 


148  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

This  matter  Tate  soon  arranged  with  the  chief  of 
Hanga  Roa,  who  was  present,  and  who  was  most 
anxious  to  go  on  board  the  steamer,  and  see  the  wondrous 
engines  which  "  made  the  ship  fight  the  eye  of  the  wind." 

Clancy  and  Tate,  accompanied  by  the  chief  and  a 
number  of  natives,  went  off  to  the  Warrigal,  and  Tom 
remained  on  shore,  for  he  was  anxious  to  see  as  much  of 
Easter  Island  as  he  possibly  could.  Christie  had  told 
him  that  the  island  was  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world, 
on  account  of  the  huge  sculptured  human  figures, 
stones,  and  terraced  platforms  which  were  to  be  seen  all 
round  the  coast,  and  constituted  an  ethnographical 
problem  that  had  never  yet  been  solved.  The  present 
people  had  but  one  tradition,  which  was  that  the  builders 
of  the  platforms,  and  the  carvers  of  the  mighty  statues 
had  come  to  Rapa  Nui  (Great  Rapa)  as  they  called  the 
island,  from  Rapa-iti  (Little  Rapa),  the  island  at  which 
the  Warrigal  had  stopped,  in  five  great  canoes,  each 
carrying  many  hundreds  of  men.  With  them  were  two 
kings,  brothers,  who  caused  the  statues  and  the  terraces 
to  be  made  from  the  hard  trachyte  taken  from  the  extinct 
crater  of  Otu-iti  on  the  north  side  of  the  island. 

As  Tom  was  leaving  the  trader's  dwelling,  he  was  met 
by  several  natives,  some  of  whom  spoke  to  him  in 
English,  and  asked  him  to  visit  their  houses  and  "  eat 
something."  Declining  their  hospitable  offers,  he 
explained  his  desire  to  see  the  carvings,  terraces  and 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  149 

curious  and  ancient  houses  of  stone,  some  of  which  were 
in  present  use  by  the  natives. 

Two  of  the  men  at  once  volunteered  their  services 
as  guides,  and  after  providing  themselves  with  some 
bottles  of  water — ^for  the  island  being  almost  treeless, 
walking  under  a  fierce  sun  over  the  red  volcanic  sand, 
scoriae  and  jagged  lava  which  covers  much  of  the  land, 
soon  created  a  great  thirst. 

After  a  tramp  of  half  a  mile,  the  first  of  the  great 
papaku  or  terraces  was  reached,  and  here  at  its  base  were 
two  of  the  huge  stone  images  of  trachyte,  both  in  an 
upright  position,  with  their  bases  buried  deep  in  the 
volcanic  sand,  and  their  faces  turned  towards  the  sea. 
Each  head  was  crowned  with  a  circle  of  red  tufa  stone 
quarried  from  one  of  the  many  craters  with  which  the 
island  abounds,  and  the  figures  themselves  were  nearly 
twenty  feet  in  height. 

Tom  stood  beside  the  colossal  figures,  gazing  upward 
at  their  strange,  massive,  and  disdainful  faces,  wondering 
whose  were  the  hands  that  had  carved  them,  and  for 
how  many  long  centuries  those  hands  had  been  turned  to 
dust,  and  when  occurred  the  awful  catastrophe  that  had 
wiped  out  of  existence  what  had  certainly  been  a  teem- 
ing population,  and  changed  a  once  forest-clad  and 
fertile  land  into  a  barren  and  sterile  wilderness  of  blasted 
mountains  and  sand-covered  valleys  of  desolation, 
melancholy  and  appalling  to  the  human  eye. 


150  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

Leaving  the  first  terrace  they  were  proceeding  towards 
the  coast,  where  there  was  an  ancient  village  of  the 
circular  stone  dwellings,  which  Tom  was  anxious  to 
examine,  when  they  heard  a  cry  from  behind,  and 
turning,  Tom  saw  Pohiri,  the  Savage  Islander,  running 
towards  them,  shouting  and  gesticulating  wildly,  and 
pointing  backwards  over  his  bare,  red-brown  shoulder 
— he  had  discarded  his  shirt  on  account  of  the  heat. 
When  within  a  few  yards  of  Tom  and  the  two  men,  he 
gave  full  play  to  his  lungs,  which  were  by  no  means 
weak. 

"  7"/?  vaka  afi,  Mist  Tamu  /  Te  vaka  afi  pu  fana  ! 
Te  mana-oa  !  Ke  toso  te  vaka  kila  tolu  ?  "  ("  A  steamer, 
Mr.  Tom  !  A  steamer  with  cannons  !  A  man-of-war  ! 
It  is  towing  a  ship  with  three  masts.") 

Then  he  added  that  soon  after  Tom  had  left  the 
village  the  steamer  had  appeared  suddenly  coming  round 
the  western  point  of  the  island,  with  a  barque  in  tow, 
and  had  dropped  anchor  quite  close  to  the  Warrigal. 

"  Is  she  an  English  man-of-war,  Pohiri  ?  " 

"  No,  Spaniola  (Spanish),"  replied  Pohiri  in  English, 
"  but  the  barque  has  English  flag." 

Then  he  added  that  Clancy  and  Tate,  who  had  gone 
off  to  the  man-of-war,  had  sent  him  to  seek  for  Tom,  and 
ask  him  to  return  to  the  village  as  quickly  as  possible. 

No  time  was  lost,  Tom  and  his  three  companions 
setting  off  at  a  run,  despite  the  intense  heat.     When 


Th e  Adventures  of  a  Sup ercarg o  1 5 1 

they  reached  the  trader's  house  they  found  it  surrounded 
by  excited  natives,  and  inside,  seated  around  the  table, 
were  Clancy,  two  strangers  in  the  Chilian  naval  uniform, 
another  in  civilian  clothes,  and  Tate. 

As  soon  as  Tom  entered  Clancy  rose. 

"  Tom,  I  am  glad  you  have  returned  so  soon.  This 
gentleman  here  is  Captain  Ramon  Tompson,  commander 
of  the  Chilian  war-ship  O^Higgins.  This  is  the  doctor, 
whose  name  I  cannot  pronounce,  as  I  didn't  catch  it, 
and  don't  understand  Spanish,  and  this  is  Captain 
Grace  of  the  barque  Meg  Merrilies.  And  now  you  will 
have  to  talk  Spanish  for  me  to  Commander  Tompson." 

Tom  shook  hands  with  them  all  in  turn,  and  the 
Chilian  commander,  a  little  grey-headed  man  with  a 
long  snow-white  moustache,  said  that  he  would  like  him 
to  act  as  interpreter  on  an  important  matter  to  be  dis- 
cussed by  himself  and  "  El  Captain  Clancy." 


CHAPTER   XIX 

Before  entering  upon  the  "  important  business " 
Clancy  told  Tom  how  it  happened  that  the  O'Higgins 
came  to  be  at  Easter  Island  at  a  time  when  her  presence 
would  be  urgently  needed  in  home  waters.  She  had,  it 
appeared,  been  making  an  extended  cruise  to  the  east- 
ward for  the  training  of  a  number  of  cadets  she  carried, 
and  amongst  other  islands  had  touched  at  Tahiti,  where 
her  commander  learned  of  the  impending  struggle 
between  Chile  and  Peru.  He  put  to  sea  immediately 
he  had  coaled,  and  steamed  as  hard  as  possible  for 
Valparaiso,  and  when  within  a  few  miles  of  the  north 
side  of  Easter  Island,  had  fallen  in  with  the  English 
barque,  whose  rudder  gudgeons  had  carried  away.  It 
was  a  dead  calm  at  the  time,  and  the  barque's  boats 
were  trying  ineffectually  to  tow  her  off  the  iron-bound 
coast,  towards  which  she  was  being  carried  to  destruction 
by  a  strong  current.  In  response  to  Captain  Grace's 
urgent  appeal  for  assistance,  the  Chilian  commander, 

although  time  was  of  vital  importance  to  him,  consented 

15a 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  1 53 

to  at  least  tow  her  into  Hanga  Roa  roadstead  to  an 
anchorage. 

The  barque  was  from  Liverpool,  bound  to  Sydney  via 
Samoa  and  the  Fiji  Islands,  and  almost  the  first  words 
which  Captain  Grace  spoke  to  Tom  was  to  offer  him  a 
passage  home. 

Tom  looked  at  Clancy  with  a  troubled  air,  then  said, 
"  I  thank  you,  Captain  Grace  ;  but  I  cannot  decide  just 
at  the  moment." 

Tate  and  Grace  then  left  the  room,  leaving  Clancy 
and  Tom  with  the  two  Chilian  officers.  The  business, 
important  as  it  was,  did  not  take  half  an  hour.  Briefly 
it  was  this  :  Clancy  had  already  contrived  to  make 
Commander  Tompson  understand  that  the  Warrigal 
carried  a  very  valuable  cargo,  amongst  which  were  some 
thousands  of  small  arms  and  ample  ammunition,  and 
that  he  was  willing  to  sell  the  cargo,  and  ship  as  well,  to 
the  Chilian  Government ;  and  the  commander  had 
eagerly  taken  upon  himself  the  responsibility  of  accepting 
the  offer  on  behalf  of  his  government ;  the  price  which 
Clancy  asked  was  to  be  paid  as  soon  as  he  and  Com- 
mander Tompson  handed  over  the  Warrigal  to  the  senior 
naval  officer  at  Valparaiso. 

"  Tell  Captain  Clancy,  Senor  Denison,  that  I  pledge 
him  my  personal  honour  that  my  country  will  not 
repudiate  my  action  in  this  matter."  He  spoke  with 
such  sincerity  that  neither  Tom  nor  Clancy  could  doubt 


1 54  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

his  integrity.  And  long  after  Tom  learnt  that  they  were 
not  mistaken. 

Clancy  was  as  eager  to  sell  as  the  naval  officer  was  to 
buy,  and  a  tentative  agreement  was  drawn  up  in  English 
and  Spanish,  which  was  duly  signed  and  witnessed,  much 
to  the  delight  of  the  two  officers,  and  Clancy  as  well. 

Then  it  was  agreed  that  as  it  was  possible  the  two 
steamers  might  fall  in  with  Peruvian  cruisers  on  the 
South  American  coast,  and  have  to  fight,  that  part  of 
the  armament  of  the  O'Kiggins  should  at  once  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  Warrigal,  with  the  first  lieutenant  and 
forty  men.  The  two  steamers  were  to  keep  close  com- 
pany— the  Warrigal  accommodating  her  speed  to  that  of 
the  cruiser,  which,  although  heavily  armed  for  her  size, 
was  slow. 

The  commander  and  surgeon  with  Tom  and  Clancy 
then  went  off  to  the  war-ship,  where,  after  a  considerable 
number  of  bottles  of  champagne  had  been  drunk  with 
the  other  officers,  work  was  proceeded  with  in  earnest. 
Six  of  the  cruiser's  Armstrongs  were  dismounted,  and 
their  traverses  taken  up  whilst  the  Warrigal  came  along- 
side, and  her  crew,  having  nothing  to  do,  either  lounged 
about  the  decks,  or  went  on  shore  ;  Clancy,  after  having 
explained  what  had  occurred,  having  given  them  a  whole 
night  and  day's  liberty.  Then  he  and  Tom  had  a  long 
conversation. 

"  Much  as  I  hate  the  idea  of  our  parting,  Clancy,  I 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  155 

know  that  what  you  say  is  right,  and  that  I  must 
accept  Captain  Grace's  offer.  But,  oh,  by  Jove,  it  is 
hard." 

"  It  is  that,  Tom,"  was  the  sympathetic  reply,  "  and 
when  we  part  I'll  have  a  hole  in  my  heart  that  a  mountain 
won't  fill ;   but " 

"  I  know,  Clancy,  I  know.  I  daresay  if  it  were  not 
for  the  thought  of  my  poor  sister  Sabbie  waiting  and 
longing  to  see  me  again,  that  the  temptation  would  be  too 
strong  for  me."  He  walked  away  and  looked  out  upon 
the  harbour  through  one  of  the  stern  windows. 

"  You  will  not  fail  to  write  to  me,  Clancy  ?  "  said  he, 
without  turning  his  face  to  the  Irishman,  who  sat  at  the 
saloon  table  with  a  pile  of  papers  before  him. 

"  Indeed  I  will  not,  Denison.  Of  course  I  can  never 
put  foot  on  British  soil  again,  but  maybe  we  shall  meet 
again.  I  hope  so,  most  truly.  And  as  for  writing,  I 
promise  you  that  you  will  have  many  and  many  a  letter 
from  the  man  you  have  befriended." 

"  And  I  shall  answer  them,  wherever  you  may  be, 
Clancy." 

"  South  America — Chile,  most  likely — ^will  be  my 
home,  Tom.  I  have  neither  kith  nor  kin  in  the  world 
except  an  uncle,  who  is  a  priest  somewhere  in  New 
Zealand,  and  whom  I  have  never  seen,  and  don't  want  to 
see."  Then  he  added  with  his  infectious  Irish  laugh. 
"  It's  a  Spanish,  or  a  Mexican,  or  a  Chileno  grandee  I'll 


1 56  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

be,  wid  a  sombrero  an'  velvet  jacket,  an'  silver  spurs, 
an'  me  own  special  father  confessor." 

"  I  wish  you  well,  Clancy,  whatever  you  do,  or  where- 
ever  you  go,"  then  Tom  turned,  and,  hiding  his  depres- 
sion under  a  smiling  face,  added  : 

"  You're  a  nice  sort  of  a  man  !  You  have  not  told 
Tate  that  you  won't  need  those  natives,  now  that  the 
Warrigal  is  turned  into  a  man-of-war.  So  get  away  on 
shore  and  tell  him,  whilst  I  go  on  board  the  barque  and 
let  Captain  Grace  know  that  I  am  sailing  with  him.  I 
see  that  he  is  heaving  down  his  ship  so  as  to  get  at  her 
stern  post,  and  repair  his  rudder.  And,  oh,  Clancy  ! 
Will  you  let  me  have  Pohiri  ?  You  will  have  no  need  of 
him  on  the  Warrigal." 

"  Take  him  with  you  by  all  means,  Tom.  He  is,  I 
know,  very  fond  of  you.  Christie  and  I  picked  him  up  in 
Sydney  when  he  was  stranded  and  in  want  of  a  ship, 
and  although  he  doesn't  know  the  true  story  of  the 
Warrigal^  I  think  he  guesses  a  good  deal." 

Tom  laughed,  "  I  am  sure  he  does,  although  he  has 
never  said  anything  to  me  beyond  that  you  and  Christie 
met  him  one  night  as  he  was  loafing  about  the  street,  and 
asked  him  if  he  wanted  a  ship." 

Clancy  went  off  on  shore,  and  Tom,  in  his  own  boat, 
pulled  over  to  the  Meg  Merrilies.  She  was  a  fine, 
handsome  barque  of  seven  hundred  tons,  and  although 
she  was  now  hove-down,  and  all  her  standing  and  running 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  157 

gear  in  disorder,  Tom,  as  soon  as  he  clambered  on  board, 
saw  that  she  was  a  ship  so  well  kept  that  her  master  had 
good  reason  to  be  proud  of  her. 

Aided  by  the  carpenter  from  the  O'Higgins,  the  mate 
and  carpenter  of  the  barque  soon  had  new  gudgeons 
fitted,  and  the  rudder  re-shipped  ;  and  just  as  Tom  came 
on  board,  the  work  was  completed  and  the  vessel  being 
put  back  on  an  even  keel. 

"  Captain  Grace,"  he  said  to  the  master,  "  I  shall  be 
glad  to  go  to  Sydney,  with  you.  But  you  were  saying 
that  you  wished  you  had  a  supercargo  to  help  you  in 
your  trading  cruise.  Now,  give  me  the  berth.  I'll 
do  my  best  to  please  you — and  I'll  come  without  pay 
rather  than  make  the  voyage  as  a  passenger." 

Grace  shook  hands  with  him  heartily — "  That  will 
suit  me  splendidly,  Mr.  Denison.  When  will  you  come 
aboard  f     I  shall  be  ready  for  sea  to-morrow." 

"  I'm  ready  at  any  time,  captain.  But  I  want  you 
to  take  my  boat,  if  you  can  find  stowage  for  her." 

"  Certainly.  She's  a  beautiful  little  craft,  and  from 
what  Captain  Clancy  told  me  I  know  you  would  not  like 
leaving  her  behind." 

"  Then  I  want  another  favour." 

"  Out  with  it." 

"  There  is  a  young  South  Sea  Island  sailor  on  board  the 
Warrigal  who  wants  to  come  with  me.  He  is  a  good  sea- 
man, and  I  should  like  to  take  him  to  Sydney  with  me." 


1 58  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Done.  I'll  put  him  on  the  ship's  articles.  Any- 
thing- else  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  thank  you." 

"  Then  what  say  you  to  a  glass  of  good  old  Tennant  ?  " 
said  Grace,  who  was  a  rough,  sturdy  mariner  of  the  old 
school. 

"  With  pleasure.     I'm  thirsty,  captain." 

They  went  below,  and  Grace  called  the  steward. 

"  Steward,  bring  two  bottles  of  Tennant.  This  is 
Mr.  Denison,  who  is  to  be  my  supercargo.  Fix  up  a 
berth  for  him.     Savee  ?  " 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir." 

"  I  really  shall  believe  I  am  a  genuine  supercargo  at 
last,"  thought  Tom,  as  he  sat  down  and  began  a  chat  with 
the  genial  old  captain. 

Soon  after  breakfast  next  morning  Tom  bade  Clancy 
and  the  crew  of  the  Warrigal  a  sorrowful  good-bye,  and 
then  returned  on  board  the  barque,  which,  with  cable 
hove-short,  was  waiting  for  him  and  Captain  Grace. 

As  the  Meg  Merrilies  paid  off,  the  O'Higgins  dipped 
her  colours,  together  with  the  Warrigal,  and  the  barque, 
with  her  white  canvas  swelling  to  the  breeze,  stood  out 
upon  the  sun-lit  billows  of  the  wide  Pacific. 


CHAPTER   XX 

Three  weeks  had  slipped  by  uneventfully  on  board  the 
Meg  Merrilies,  which  had  passed  safely  through  the 
dangers  of  the  Paumotu  Archipelago,  and  was  now 
rippling  over  a  gently  undulating  sea  sparkling  under  the 
morning  sun  and  scarcely  disturbed  by  the  breath  of  the 
cool  south-east  trade  wind.  Three  miles  away  on  the 
starboard  hand  was  Palmerston  Island,  a  long,  low 
stretch  of  living  green,  encircled  by  beaches  of  gleaming 
white — the  whole  lying  within  the  great  circle  of  barrier 
reef,  denoted  by  its  wavering  line  of  creamy  surf. 

The  ship  was  very  quiet,  for  it  was  Sunday,  and  scarce 
a  sound  broke  in  upon  the  pleasant  silence  save  the  swish 
and  rustle  of  the  water  along  her  sides,  as  the  barque 
clove  her  way  through  it,  and  now  and  then  the  creaking 
of  a  block,  and  the  soft  rustle  of  a  sail  as  it  filled  and 
swelled,  and  then  sank  again,  for  the  wind  was  as  yet 
very  light. 

Tom,  lying  against  the  raised  after-flap  of  the  skylight, 
had  come  on  deck  to  laze  away  an  hour  or  two,  but  he 
first  wished  to  re-read  James  Christie's  story,  and  as  he 

»39 


1 60  Th e  Adv entures  of  a  Sup ercargo 

looked  at  the  big  firm  characters,  the  writing  reminded 
him  of  the  man  himself. 


"  My  dear  Tom,"  it  began,  "  I  have  a  conviction 
that  I  have  not  many  days  to  live,  for  the  complaint 
from  which  I  suffer,  is,  I  fear,  beyond  the  power  of  the 
best  doctors,  let  alone  the  French  priest,  who  has  not 
had  much  chance  of  practising  since  he  became  a  mis- 
sionary. 

"  So  I  have  made  myself  ready.  Clancy  will  know 
what  to  do  in  all  matters  concerning  the  fFarrigal,  and 
also  about  yourself.  When  you  return  home  I  want  you 
to  tell  your  aunt  and  your  sister  that  James  Christie 
begs  their  forgiveness  as  he  begged  yours  for  the  wrong 
I  did  you. 

"  Now,  I  will  tell  you  my  story  in  as  few  words  as 
possible. 

"  Seventeen  years  ago,  I  was  master  of  a  steamer 
named  the  Bass  Rock.  She  belonged  to  Liverpool,  and 
was  owned  by  Tobias  Pattermore,  who  was  then  living 
in  Birkenhead.  The  steamer  was  in  the  Mediterranean 
trade,  but  was  not  making  much  money  for  Pattermore, 
who  was  always  grumbling,  and  hinting  to  me  that  he 
would  have  to  make  a  change  of  skippers  if  I  could  not 
make  things  '  hum.' 

"  Now  I  must  go  back  a  bit. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  i6i 

"  At  this  time  I  had  been  married  six  years,  and  had 
one  dear  child — a  giri  of  five.  My  wife  had  married  me 
much  against  the  wishes  of  her  people,  who  loathed  the 
idea  of  her  uniting  herself  to  a  common  merchant  sea- 
captain — a  man,  too,  of  a  *  common  '  family — ^for  my 
father  was  a  farm  bailiff.  Then,  too,  she  had  money — 
a  few  thousand  pounds  left  her  by  a  relative.  God 
knows  I  didn't  want  the  money,  I  only  wanted  her. 

"  When  we  first  met,  I  was  mate  of  a  Calcutta  ship, 
the  Earl  Bathurst,  and  my  future  wife,  her  father  and 
mother,  and  her  two  sisters  were  passengers.  The 
father  had  been  in  the  Indian  Civil  Service,  and  was 
returning  to  England  to  live  on  his  pension.  He  was  a 
pompous,  overbearing  man,  and  his  wife  thought 
him  a  small  God  Almighty — ^like  most  wives  of  Indian 
officials, 

"  We  had  a  bad  voyage  from  the  start,  calms  and 
hurricanes  alternating,  and  once  nearly  foundered 
through  being  taken  aback  between  Calcutta  and  the 
Cape.  All  this  rough  experience  brought  the  passengers 
and  ship's  officers  much  more  in  contact  than  would  have 
been  the  case  if  nothing  out  of  the  common  had  occurred, 
and  somehow  or  other  Alice  Chester  and  I  became  great 
friends,  and  before  I  knew  it  I  was  in  love  with  her,  and 
felt  sure  that  she  cared  for  me  more  than  her  father 
would  have  liked  had  he  known  of  it. 

"  Colonel  Chester — he  had  been  one  of  the  old  Com- 


1 62  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

pany's  soldiers  before  he  went  into  the  Civil  Service 
— ^never  dreamt  that  very  often  when  it  was  my  watch 
below  I  was  on  deck  talking  to  his  daughter.  If  any  one 
had  told  him  of  it,  he  would  have  rejected  such  a  tale  as 
utterly  preposterous — ^for  a  daughter  of  his  to  display 
more  than  a  condescending  interest  in  a  common 
merchant  ship-officer  would  be  transcending  the  bounds 
of  possibility. 

"  Soon  after  rounding  the  Cape,  several  of  our  sixty 
cabin  passengers  were  taken  ill  with  fever,  caught  no 
doubt  at  Capetown,  and  among  them  was  Alice's  younger 
sister — ^a  girl  of  thirteen.  The  doctor  had  his  hands  full, 
for  most  of  his  patients  soon  became  delirious. 

"  One  night  in  the  middle  watch,  just  after  I  had  come 
on  deck  to  relieve  the  second  officer,  and  whilst  the  ship 
was  running  free  over  a  lumpy  sea,  one  of  the  hands  told 
me  that  one  of  the  strands  of  the  log  line  had  parted.  I 
went  to  reeve  another,  and  just  as  I  passed  the  com- 
panion-way, Nina  Chester,  followed  by  one  of  the  cuddy- 
boys,  in  her  nightdress,  rushed  past  me,  clambered  up 
on  the  wheel  gratings,  and  sprang  overboard.  I  follow- 
ed, and  the  cuddy-boy — ^who  was  Terence  Clancy — 
jumped  after  me. 

"  To  make  my  yarn  of  this  matter  as  short  as  possible, 
Tom  ;  I  soon  found  the  child  and  collared  her.  She  was 
a  thin,  delicate  creature,  and  gave  me  no  trouble  to  keep 
her  up,  although  she  was  unconscious.     Then  presently 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  163 

Terence,  who  is  as  good  a  swimmer  as  I  am,  found  us,  and 
in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  we  were  all  back  on  board  again, 
for  the  third  mate  had  brought  the  ship  to  in  no  time,  and 
lowered  a  boat. 

"  Old  Colonel  Chester  was  very  grateful — and  next 
morning  offered  me  fifty  pounds  !  I  looked  at  him  and 
then  at  Alice,  and  without  a  word  walked  out  of  his  cabin. 
Before  many  hours  had  passed  Alice  Chester  and  I  had 
met  again,  and  she  had  told  me  that  she  loved  me  and 
would  be  my  wife. 

"  '  It  is  no  use  asking  my  father  for  me,  Jim,*  she  said. 
*  You  might  as  well  ask  him  to  blacken  his  face  and  sing 
a  comic  nigger  song  to  the  sailors  in  the  foc'scle.'  Then 
she  cried  a  bit  over  the  fifty  pounds  matter,  and  said  that 
her  father  had  treated  Terry,  the  cuddy-boy,  just  as  he 
had  treated  me — ^had  offered  him  ten  pounds. 

" '  Never  mind,  Jim,  dear,'  she  said,  half-crying, 
half-laughing,  '  if  my  kisses  are  worth  only  a  farthing 
each,  and  Terry  will  take  them  in  payment,  he  shall 
have  more  than  ten  pounds'  worth  before  we  reach 
England.  I  have  made  a  good  start  already,  and  Nina 
will  help  me  as  soon  as  she  is  able  to  get  up.' 

"  Well,  Tom,  she  kept  her  promise.  Within  a  month 
after  I  was  paid  off  from  the  Bathurst,  I  was  in  Belfast 
waiting  for  her.  She  left  home,  came  to  me,  and  there 
we  were  married.  Her  father  never  answered  her  letters, 
but  he  wrote  to  me  in  such  terms  that  even  now,  when  I 


164  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

have  not  many  suns  to  see,  the  recollection  of  those 
insulting  words  stings  me  like  the  lash  of  a  whip. 

"  I  was  not  long  out  of  a  berth,  and  was  soon  in  com- 
mand of  a  barque  belonging  to  Pattermore,  in  which  I 
made  a  two  years'  voyage  to  the  South  Seas.  It  was 
then  that  I  met  old  Pere  Leblond  in  Samoa. 

"  When  I  returned  home,  Pattermore  offered  me  the 
command  of  the  Bass  Rock.  I  eagerly  accepted,  and 
the  first  thing  I  did  was  to  write  to  Terence  Clancy,  who 
was  second  engineer  on  one  of  the  Holyhead  and  Dublin 
boats,  and  ask  him  to  come  with  me  as  chief.  We 
had  always  kept  in  touch  since  we  had  left  the  old 
Bathurst. 

"  We  made  several  voyages  to  the  Mediterranean, 
and,  as  I  have  said,  the  steamer  did  not  pay.  She  was 
slow,  and  a  great  coal-eater,  and  Pattermore  always  had 
a  black  face  for  me  when  the  ship's  accounts  were 
squared. 

"  One  day,  however — ^soon  after  he  had  hinted  to  me 
that  he  would  have  to  make  a  change  of  skippers,  he 
asked  my  wife  and  me  to  dinner.  He  was  very  gracious 
and  oily,  and  '  slithery '  as  Irish  people  say,  and  after 
dinner  took  me  into  the  library  and  said  : 

"  *  Christie,  I  am  sure  I  can  trust  you,  and  can  take 
you  into  my  confidence,  can  I  not  ?  ' 

"  *  You  can,  sir,'  I  replied. 

"  '  Well,  there  is  a  certainty  offering  me  to  make  a 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  165 

pot  of  money  if  I  have  a  man  like  you  to  carry  out  my 
plans.    But  there  are  risks  attached.' 

"  '  What  are  they  ?  ' 

"  '  The  possibility  of  your  being  seized  or  even  killed 
if  you  fail — I  want  you  to  land  a  cargo  of  arms  for  the 
rebel  party  in  Venezuela.  But  everything  will  be  so 
arranged  that  you  will  not  fail.  I  have  been  in  treaty 
with  the  rebel  agent  here,  and  have  decided  to  make  the 
venture.  If  you  will  carry  out  my  instructions  I  will 
pay  you  one  thousand  pounds  on  your  return." 

"  I  jumped  at  the  offer.  '  Put  it  down  on  paper,'  I 
said. 

"  He  shook  his  head.  '  No,  Christie,  there  must  not 
be  anything  like  that.  I  am  a  big  shipowner,  and  run 
more  risk  than  you  will  in  going  into  this  business.  I 
have  Government  contracts,  and  if  it  was  known  that 
I  had  a  hand  in  this  matter  it  would  mean  ruin  to  me. 
But  to  show  you  how  much  confidence  I  have  in  you  I 
am  going  to  transfer  the  ownership  of  the  Bass  Rock 
to  you,  and  put  her  under  the  Liberian  flag.  The  cargo 
of  arms  is  ready  at  this  moment  in  Liverpool ;  as  soon 
as  it  is  under  hatches  you  can  steam  away  as  fast  as  you 
can  for  a  place  called  Cazones  between  Porto  Cabello  and 
La  Guayra.  There  you  will  find  General  Padro  Valdez, 
with  part  of  the  rebel  forces  waiting  for  you,  and  you  can 
land  your  cargo  without  danger,  as  the  Government 
have  only  two  cruisers,  and  both  of  these  will  be  engaged 


i66  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

in  watching  the  coast  about  Caracas.'  Then  he  added 
that  I  could  pay  off  the  present  crew  if  I  liked  and  ship 
another — ^men  whom  I  could  trust. 

"  Perhaps  I  was  too  eager  ;  but  things  had  gone  badly 
with  us  since  our  marriage,  my  wife  having  lost  her 
little  fortune  in  a  bank  smash. 

"  I  went  home  with  my  wife,  highly  elated,  and  a  week 
later  bade  her  good-bye,  and  left  the  Mersey,  ostensibly 
bound  for  Sierra  Leone.  I  never  saw  my  wife  and  child 
again." 


CHAPTER   XXI 

"  I  GOT  to  Cazones  all  right,  and  found  Valdez  and  his 
ragged  rapscallions  awaiting  me,  and  within  forty-eight 
hours  we  had  landed  all  the  arms,  and  I  was  ready  for 
sea  again,  when  at  sunset  a  Government  cruiser  suddenly 
appeared  round  the  point.  I  slipped  the  cable,  and  hav- 
ing a  full  head  of  steam,  tried  to  escape,  when  the  cruiser 
at  once  opened  fire  on  us  at  less  than  a  couple  of  cable 
lengths,  and  the  fourth  shell  from  her  Armstrong  40- 
pounders  burst  in  the  engine-room,  killed  three  men, 
made  a  holy  smash  up  of  the  engines,  and  brought  us  to. 

"  Half  an  hour  afterwards  I,  Clancy,  big  Sam  and 
Rockett,  and  the  rest  of  the  crew  were  in  irons  and  on  our 
way  to  Caracas.  There  we  were  tried  and  sentenced  to 
death,  but  later  on  the  sentence  was  commuted  to  seven 
years  in  irons.  The  ship  being  under  the  Liberian  flag 
the  British  Government  could  not,  or  would  not  inter- 
fere on  our  behalf,  and  left  us  to  our  fate. 

"  For  three  long  years  we  suffered  the  torments  of 

the  damned  in  that  hell  of  a  prison  in  Caracas,  and  would 

have  been  there  for  another  four,  had  not  a  second 

167 


l68  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

revolution  burst  up  the  rotten  government,  and  opened 
the  doors  of  our  prison. 

"  With  Clancy  I  made  my  way  back  to  Liverpool, 
and  found  that  my  wife  and  child  had  left  for  Caracas 
two  months  after  the  Bass  Rock  had  been  captured. 
She  wished  to  at  least  be  near  me  in  my  captivity,  for 
she  had  learnt  from  the  Foreign  Office  that  there  was 
no  possible  hope  of  the  British  Government  attempting 
to  interfere  on  my  behalf,  but  thought  that  with  the 
two  hundred  pounds  she  possessed  she  would  perhaps  be 
able  to  do  something  for  me  with  my  gaolers.  First 
of  all,  though,  on  the  day  after  that  on  which  the  news 
of  my  seizure  was  published,  she  went  to  Pattermore  and 
begged  him  to  lend  her  a  few  hundred  pounds.  (I  was 
told  all  this  by  Nina  Chester.)  He  professed  to  be  highly 
indignant  at  her  making  such  an  appeal  to  him. 

"  *  What  have  I  to  do  with  your  husband,  madam  ?  ' 
he  said.  '  The  Bass  Rock  was  not  my  ship  ;  if  your 
husband  chooses  to  engage  in  such  improper  transactions 
and  is  caught,  what  right  have  you  to  come  begging  to 
me  for  assistance  ?  It  is  quite  bad  enough  for  me  to  see 
reports  in  the  newspapers  that  I  was  the  owner  of  the 
steamer — ^reports  which  I  have  promptly  contradicted. 
Good  morning,   madam.' 

"  My  poor  wife  went  away  bewildered,  and  desperate. 
On  the  following  day  she  wrote  to  her  father  and  begged 
him  to  give  her  a  hundred  pounds  to  aid  her  in  effecting 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  169 

my  release.  Her  letter  was  returned  to  her  unopened. 
Then  she  and  her  sister  Nina,  who  had  always  been  loyal 
to  her,  tried  to  see  Pattermore  at  his  office.  A  clerk  came 
and  said  that  Mr.  Pattermore  declined  to  see  Mrs.  Christie 
either  then  or  at  any  other  time. 

||."  She  made  her  way  to  London,  and  took  passages  for 
herself  and  the  child  in  a  steamer  named  ^he  Hope,  for 
La  Guayra.  She  was  an  old  and  ill-found  craft,  but  my 
wife  had  no  choice ;  she  had  not  anything  like  enough 
money  to  pay  her  passage  in  a  better  ship,  and  the 
captain  of  The  Hope,  taking  pity  on  her,  only  charged  her 
a  nominal  sum,  for  which  the  Almighty  will  reward 
him. 

"  Six  weeks  after  the  steamer  sailed  from  London, 
one  of  her  boats  was  picked  up  near  Blanquilla  Island, 
oflF  the  Venezuelan  coast.  In  it  were  the  dead  bodies  of 
my  wife,  my  child,  and  the  captain  and  five  other  men — 
they  had  all  perished  of  thirst.  Another  boat  in  charge 
of  the  mate  reached  Tortuga,  and  reported  that  The 
Hop^  had  foundered  in  a  hurricane  between  Grenada  and 
Tortuga. 

"  When  Clancy  and  I  reached  England  we  found  that 
Tobias  Pattermore  had  sold  out  his  English  interests  and 
gone  to  Australia,  where  he  had  established  a  big  busi- 
ness. We,  accompanied  by  Rockett  and  big  Sam, 
followed,  for  I  was  burning  with  resentment  against  the 
hypocritical  scounxirel  for  the  way  in  which  he  had 


170  The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercar go 

treated  my  wife.  At  night,  Tom,  I  would  dream,  oh 
God  !  such  agonising  dreams  !  I  saw  her  with  blackened 
lips  and  hollow  eyes,  waving  her  hand  to  me  and  trying 
to  utter  my  name,  and  then,  pointing  to  our  dead  child, 
who  lay  upon  her  knees,  as  the  boat  drifted  upon  a  sea 
of  glass  under  a  blazing  sun,  and  I  called  to  her,  '  Alice, 
my  Alice,  I  am  coming,'  and  tried  to  rise,  and  then  I 
would  hear  the  clank  of  my  chains  as  I  tried  to  burst  my 
fetters  in  my  agony  of  despair,  then  the  vision  would 
fade  and  I  awoke  with  trembling  limbs  and  aching 
heart. 

"  We  worked  our  passages  out  to  Sydney  in  a  sailing 
ship,  for  we  had  only  a  few  pounds  between  us.  But  I 
felt  sure  that  Pattermore  would — dared  not  refuse  to 
pay  me  the  /one  thousand  pounds  he  had  promised  me, 
cruelly  and  meanly  as  he  had  treated  my  poor  wife,  for 
whose  dreadful  fate  I  held  him  to  be  responsible.  It  was 
my  intention  to  make  him  pay  me  the  money — ^which 
was  to  be  divided  between  us  four — and  then  give  the 
scoundrel  a  thrashing. 

"  On  reaching  Sydney  I  went  direct  to  Pattermore's 
offices  in  Pitt  Street.  In  that  I  made  a  mistake — ^I 
should  have  waited  and  gone  to  his  house  at  Parramatta, 
where  our  conversation  would  have  been  private — but 
I  was  too  impetuous  and  spoilt  everything,  at  least  as 
far  as  making  him  pay  me  was  concerned. 

"  I  sent  in  my  name  by  a  clerk,  who  returned  and  said 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  171 

Mr.  Pattermore  did  not  wish  to  see  me — ^I  was  no  longer 
m  his  employ,  and  he  had  no  time  to  waste.  I  pushed 
the  clerk  aside,  and  stepped  into  the  private  office  ; 
Pattermore  was  there  and  certainly  was  busy,  for  there 
were  two  other  men  seated  at  the  table  with  him. 

"  '  What  do  you  mean,  sir,  by  coming  in  here  after 
receiving  my  message  ?  '  he  said,  leaning  back  in  his 
chair,  and  scowling  at  me,  *  what  do  you  want  ?  ' 

"  '  I  want  that  one  thousand  pounds  you  owe  me  for 
delivering  a  cargo  of  arms  for  you  to  General  Valdez, 
three  and  a  half  years  ago,'  I  said,  trying  to  speak 
calmly. 

"  '  Bah  !  the  fellow  is  mad— or  intoxicated  ' — ^he 
said  with  a  sneer,  turning  to  an  old  gentleman  next  to 
him.  '  Now,  look  here,  Christie,  take  yourself  off  as 
quickly  as  possible,  before  I  send  for  a  policeman.' 

"  A  mad  fury  possessed  me.  '  Murderer  of  ray  wife 
and  child  !  '  I  cried,  and  then  I  sprang  at  him  and  seized 
him  by  the  throat,  with  murder  in  my  heart. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  I  should  have  strangled 
him  had  not  three  or  four  of  his  clerks  rushed  in,  and  one 
of  them,  seizing  a  heavy  ruler,  struck  me  blow  after 
blow  on  the  head  until  I  became  insensible,  and  my  grip 
was  taken  from  his  throat.  When  I  came  to  I  found 
two  policemen  beside  me,  and  a  doctor  attending  to 
Pattermore. 

"  As  I  was  led  away  to  be  charged  at  the  police 


172  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

station,  I  turned  to  Pattermore,  who  had  recovered 
consciousness  and  said :  *  You  heartless  scoundrel. 
I  have  not  done  with  you  yet.  Some  day  I  shall  have 
my  revenge.' 

"  I  was  sentenced  to  six  months'  imprisonment  in 
Darlinghurst  Gaol — ^an  imprisonment,  that  wearisome 
as  it  was,  was  heaven  compared  to  the  horrors  I  endured 
in  Caracas,  for  the  officials  treated  me  not  only  kindly, 
but  considerately. 

"  The  day  I  was  liberated  the  governor  handed  me 
sixty  pounds,  which  had  been  sent  to  him  for  me  in 
several  sums  from  time  to  time  by  Terence  Clancy, 
Rockett,  and  big  Sam,  who  had  all  written  to  me  during 
my  imprisonment.  All  three  had  stuck  together ; 
Clancy  getting  a  berth  as  chief  engineer  on  one  of  the 
Melbourne  boats,  and  Rockett  and  big  Sam  were 
quartermasters. 

"  They  were  away  when  I  came  out  of  Darlinghurst, 
but  a  week  later  we  met,  and  I  then  told  them  that  I 
meant  to  have  my  revenge  on  Pattermore,  and  explained 
how  I  meant  to  carry  it  into  effect.  They  agreed  to 
join  me  when  I  was  ready — no  matter  when  or  where. 

"  Within  a  few  weeks,  I  got  the  command  of  a  South 
Sea  trading  barque  named  the  Petite  Jeanne,  running 
between  Sydney  and  Fiji,  and  during  the  following  two 
years  I  was  patiently  watching  for  my  chance.  At 
last  it  came.     Clancy  got  the  berth  of  chief  engineer  on 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  1 73 

the  fFarrigal,  which  had  just  been  bought  by  Patter- 
more,  and  he  and  I  made  our  plans  definitely. 

"  How  we  got  possession  of  her,  Clancy  will  tell  you. 

"  Tom,  dear  lad,  good-bye,  and  try  to  think  kindly  of 
poor  Jim  Christie." 


CHAPTER   XXII 

The  Meg  Merrilies  lay  at  anchor  in  Apia  Harbour, 
Samoa,  which  port  she  had  reached  three  weeks  after 
sighting  Palmerston  Island,  light  winds  and  calms 
having  made  the  passage  a  lengthy  one,  though  not  too 
long  for  Tom,  who  had  spent  the  time  very  advantage- 
ously. In  the  first  place,  he.  Captain  Grace,  and  the 
carpenter  had  built  a  new  deck  house,  or  rather  extended 
that  on  the  after-deck,  and  fitted  it  up  as  a  trade  room 
with  shelves,  etc.,  and  by  the  time  the  barque  reached 
Apia  it  was  stocked  with  samples  of  nearly  everything 
that  was  under  hatches — ^much  to  the  skipper's  satis- 
faction. 

"  Tom,"  he  said,  as,  on  the  day  the  work  was  com- 
pleted, he  sat  down  on  a  case  of  rifles,  lit  his  pipe,  and 
looked  around  the  trade  room,  "  you're  a  genius.  It's 
a  regular  emporium — anything  from  a  needle  to  an 
anchor ;  silk  ribbons  for  the  brown  girls'  hair,  and  cut- 
lasses for  the  men  to  cut  each  other  up  ;  Jamaica  rum 
for  the  common  garden  trader,  and  Moet  and  Chandon  for 
the  Consuls  and  other  big  swells." 

174 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  1 75 

The  supercargo  laughed,  "  I  told  you  I  knew  how  to 
fit  up  a  trade  room.  Poor  old  Captain  Ryder  told  me 
all  about  it  in  the  first  place,  and  then  whenever  an  island 
trading  ship  came  to  Sydney  I  always  went  on  board  and 
had  a  look  around.  I  have  fitted  up  ours  as  near  as  I 
could  to  that  of  the  brig  Au  Revoir — ^you  can  put  your 
hand  on  anything  you  want  rightaway." 

Every  evening  since  the  barque  had  left  Easter  Island, 
Pohiri,  the  Savage  Islander,  had  come  aft  and  given  Tom 
two  hours'  instruction  in  his  own  and  the  Samoan  lan- 
guage. The  former,  which  is  a  sort  of  bastard  Maori- 
Samoan,  was  easy  to  acquire,  the  mellifluous  Samoan, 
though  akin  to  the  Savage  Island  dialect  in  some  respects, 
he  found  more  difficult,  owing  to  his  instructor's  habit  of 
always  substituting  the  Nuiean  K  for  the  Samoan  T 
(there  is  no  K  in  the  latter  language)  and  his  only  speak- 
ing the  "  common  "  language,  which  is  distinct  from  that 
used  by  the  common  people  to  chiefs  and  strangers, 
though  they  (the  chiefs)  never  use  it  if  speaking  of  them- 
selves. Still  Pohiri  knew  a  few  of  the  terms  used  when 
addressing  chiefs  or  members  of  their  families.  He 
told  Tom,  for  instance,  "  S'pose  you  want  to  tell  some 
chief  you  been  shoot  wild  pig,  you  don'  say  *  I  shoot 
puaa  '  (pig),  you  say  '  I  shoot  le  vae  fa^  ('  1  have  shot  the 
four-legged  thing  ').  If  you  ask  chief  if  he  has  headache, 
you  don'  say  ulu ;  you  say  ao.  You  see,  ulu  is  same 
name  for  breadfruit,  but  you  mus'  not  call  chief's  head 


1 76  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

ulu.  And  you  mus'  not  call  chief's  wife  ava — that 
is  what  common  man  call  his  wife,  you  mus'  say 
faletua  or  masiofo.  But  if  some  chief  speak  to  you 
'bout  his  wife  he  will  say  Pou  ava  (my  wife)  like  common 
man.  If  he  has  headache  he  will  say  lau  ulu  (my  head) 
and  not  say  lau  ao  ;  but  if  he  speak  to  you  or  some 
other  stranger  he  will  say  lau  ao  (your  head).  If  he  say 
lau  ulu  to  you  it  mean  he  want  to  soli  (insult)  you." 

Soon  after  Tom  landed  in  Apia  he  was  given  a  Samoan 
grammar  by  a  storekeeper,  in  which  he  found  Pohiri's 
statements  practically  confirmed  by  the  Rev.  S.  G. 
Whitmee,  a  missionary,  who  remarks  on  the  peculiarities 
of  the  Samoan  language  : 

"  There  is  a  large  number  of  words  used  to  chiefs  and 
strangers  ;  and  to  use  any  other  when  addressing  such 
is  equivalent  to  an  insult.  These  words  are  never 
used  by  a  chief  when  speaking  of  himself.  Amongst 
these  are  words  used  according  to  the  rank  of  the  person 
addressed ;  e.g.,  tausami,  to  eat — a  respectful  term  to  a 
tulafaU  (the  town  orator),  taumafa — ^to  a  chief ;  tauU  to 
the  highest  chief.  This  use  of  special  words  in  address- 
ing persons  of  rank  is  an  important  feature  of  the  Samoan 
language  .  .  .  there  is  a  great  number  of  words  used 
specially  to  a  chief.  Almost  every  member  of  his  body 
has  a  name  different  from  that  applied  to  a  common  man. 
His  feelings,  his  actions,  and  his  possessions  have  different 
names.     In   many  instances  the   common   name  of  a 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  177 

thing  is  changed  for  another  when  that  thing  is  spoken  of 
in  his  presence.  In  some  cases  the  particular  grade  of  a 
man's  rank  is  indicated  by  the  word  used,  as  in  the  words 
to  eat,  mentioned  above.  The  following  words  to  come, 
furnish  another  example  of  this.  Sau  is  used  to  a  com- 
mon man,  maliu  mai  is  a  respectful  term  a  grade  higher  ; 
susu  mai  is  used  only  to  titled  chiefs  ;  afio  mai,  properly 
only  to  those  of  the  highest  rank." 

Grace  was  highly  pleased  at  the  result  of  his  visit  to 
Apia,  for  he  had  sold  nearly  half  of  his  cargo  to  the 
merchants  and  traders  at  a  large  profit,  and  Tom  felt 
delighted  when  the  old  man  told  him  that  he  had  that 
day  at  the  British  Consulate  put  him  (Tom)  on  the 
ship's  articles  as  supercargo  at  twenty-five  pounds  a 
month. 

"  You  see,  Tom,  I  asked  Mr.  Williams  "  (the  Consul) 

"  what  was  a  fair  wage  for  a  supercargo,  and  he  told  me 

that  an  experienced  man  usually  gets  thirty  to  forty 

pounds  a  month,  so  I  thought — and  he  thought  too — 

that  it  would  be  a  fair  thing  if  I  gave  you  twenty-five 

pounds  to  start  with,  beginning  from  the  day  you  came 

on  board.     And  although  you  haven't  had  any  previous 

experience,  you  have  done  very  well  for  me,  and  taken  a 

lot  of  work  off  my  hands.     I  was  told  in  Liverpool  that 

I  ought  to  take  a  supercargo,  and  the  agent  wanted  to 

shove  one  of  his  sons  on  to  me,  but  I  wouldn't  have  him, 

meaning  to  pull  along  by  myself  as  well  as  I  could  until 

I? 


178  Th e  Adv entures  of  a  Sup ercarg o 

we  got  to  Sydney,  where  I  knew  I  could  get  a 
proper  supercargo,  and  not  a  quill  driver  from  an 
office." 

"  Well,  Captain  Grace,  I  hope  to  gain  more  experience, 
and  if  you  will  have  me  for  your  next  voyage  I  shall  be 
very  pleased.  My  aunt  won't  like  it,  but  as  I  am  nearing 
eighteen,  it  is  time  I  struck  out  for  myself  and  earned 
my  living." 

"  Right  you  are,  Tom,  it's  a  deal.  You  shall  come 
with  me  next  voyage,  and  I  hope  we  shall  be  together 
for  a  good  many  years.  I  intend  to  stay  out  in  the 
Pacific  for  four  or  five  years  ;  and,  if  things  go  as  well 
as  they  are  going  now,  I  mean  to  sell  the  barque  and  buy 
another  and  bigger  ship." 

One  afternoon,  nearly  a  month  after  the  Meg  Merrilies 
had  reached  the  port,  and  just  as  Grace  and  Tom  were 
about  to  go  on  shore  for  a  bathe  in  the  Vaisigago  River, 
they  saw  a  barque  beating  up  to  the  port  from  the  west- 
ward against  the  lusty  south-east  trades,  and,  as  she 
drew  nearer,  Tom  recognised  her  as  a  Sydney  vessel — 
the  Rotumah.  She  was  soon  abreast  of  the  passage,  and 
came  flying  in  in  gallant  style.  In  order  to  bring  up 
under  Matautu  Point  she  had  to  pass  close  to  the  stern 
of  the  Meg  Merrilies,  and  then  Tom  saw  a  man  jump  up 
on  the  after  rail  and  wave  his  cap. 

"  Mr.  Denison,  Mr.  Denison  !  "  he  shouted  "  come 
aboard  !  " 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  1 79 

In  an  instant  Tom  recognised  him — it  was  Jack 
Castles,  the  former  ship-keeper  of  the  Simon  Bolivar. 

Hurriedly  explaining  to  Grace  who  the  man  was,  Tom 
called  some  of  the  hands,  and  in  a  few  minutes  was  in 
one  of  the  ship's  boats,  pulling  after  the  Rotumahy 
which  presently  brought  to,  and  let  go  anchor. 

Clambering  on  deck  he  was  met  by  Castles  and  the 
skipper.  Captain  Robertson,  who  both  shook  hands  with 
him  warmly. 

"  Wal,  wal,  this  ez  a  knock-out  surprise,"  cried 
Robertson,  a  big,  burly  new  Englander,  "  Mr.  Denison, 
yew  will  be  glad  to  hear  thet  your  aunt  got  that  letter 
from  Captain  Christie  all  right,  and  she  and  your  sister 
Sabbie  were  mighty  pleased,  I  can  tell  yew.  Naow, 
Jack,"  and  he  turned  to  the  half-caste,  whose  handsome 
face  was  beaming  with  smiles,  "  I'll  let  you  go  off  with 
Mr.  Denison,  so  that  you  can  spin  him  the  yarn." 

"  How  strange  it  is  that  we  should  meet,  Castles," 
said  Tom,  as  the  boat  was  being  pulled  back  to  the  Meg 
Merrilies. 

"  Aye,  sir ;  strange  indeed.  I  never  thought  that 
when  I  shipped  as  A.B.  on  the  Rotumah,  that  I  would 
meet  you  in  Samoa." 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

Denison  was  delighted  to  know  that  his  aunt  and 
Sabbie  knew  that  he  was  safe,  and  he,  Castles  and 
Captain  Grace  had  quite  an  hour's  talk  before  the  half- 
caste  returned  to  the  Rotumah.  He  told  them  that  the 
last  time  he  had  called  at  the  "  Crows'  Nest  "  to  say- 
good-bye  to  Miss  Denison  and  Sabbie,  he  had  found 
Carmen  Herrera  there. 

"  Miss  Denison  told  me  sir,  that  Miss  Herrera  had  come 
to  stay  with  Miss  Sabbie  until  you  came  back." 

Tom  laughed.  "  She  will  be  there  for  a  long  time. 
Castles." 

"  Not  too  long  for  your  aunt,  sir.  Miss  Denison  has 
regular  took  to  her,  and  one  day  all  three  with  Canon 
Cooper,  came  on  board  the  old  Bolivar,  and  I  made  tea 
for  them.  And  then  I  was  foolish  enough  to  show  them 
your  shark-fishing  gear  in  the  hen-coop,  and  Miss 
Sabbie  and  the  Spanish  girl  both  began  to  cry — and  I 
felt  as  if  I  could  kick  myself." 

Just  as  Castles  was  going  over  the  side  he  said  to  Tom, 
"  I  wish  I  were  sailing  with  you,  sir.     Do  you  think 

i8o 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  1 8 1 

Captain  Grace  would  take  me — the  skipper  of  the  Rotu- 
mah  will  be  willing  to  let  me  leave  if  you  ask  him." 

Tom  was  only  too  delighted  at  the  suggestion,  and 
telling  the  half-caste  to  wait,  he  went  below  to  Captain 
Grace ;  in  a  few  minutes  he  returned  with  a  beaming 
face. 

"  It  is  all  right,  Castles,  and  I'm  coming  with  you  to 
see  Captain  Robertson." 

The  skipper  of  the  barque  very  good-naturedly 
acceded  to  the  half-caste's  request,  paid  him  what  wages 
were  due  to  him,  shook  hands  and  wished  him  and  Tom 
good-bye,  and  "  whips  of  luck,"  as  the  Meg  Merrilies 
was  to  sail  in  the  morning  for  Levuka. 

Pohiri,  who  was  much  attached  to  Tom,  eyed  Castles 
at  first  with  some  jealousy,  but  this  soon  wore  oflF, 
especially  when  the  half-caste  addressed  him  in  his  own 
language,  which  he  spoke  very  fluently,  as  he  did  many 
other  Polynesian  dialects,  for  in  his  many  voyages 
throughout  the  South  Seas,  he  had  had  for  shipmates 
natives  of  many  of  the  Pacific  Isles,  from  Easter  Island 
to  the  far-away  Pelews. 

The  Meg  Merrilies  sailed  at  noon  on  the  following 
day,  and  Denison  looked  back  at  the  green  mountains 
of  beautiful  Upolu  with  a  feeling  of  regret,  for  during 
his  month's  stay  he  had  made  many  friends — especially 
with  the  natives — and  he  made  a  resolution  that  if  ever 
he  did  decide  to  settle  down  as  a  trader,  that  Samoa 


1 82  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

would  run  Rapa  very  closely  in  his  choice,  although  he 
had  not  forgotten  his  promise  to  Toa  and  the  beautiful 
T6ro. 

The  barque  made  a  splendid  run  from  Samoa  to  Levu- 
ka — ^the  then  capital  town  of  Fiji — and  dropped  anchor 
amongst  a  number  of  vessels  of  all  rigs  and  sizes,  with 
which  the  little  reef-bound  harbour  was  crowded. 
Grace  went  on  shore  to  the  Consul  with  his  papers, 
leaving  Tom  to  entertain  a  noisy  and  thirsty  host  of 
visitors — ^planters,  traders,  merchants,  and  officials  of 
the  newly-established  government  of  His  Majesty  King 
Cacobau.  Some  merely  came  to  talk — and  get  free 
liquor — others  to  buy  it,  and  provisions,  etc.,  and  Tom 
had  a  busy  two  hours  ere  the  last  of  them  departed. 

Shortly  before  lunch  Grace  returned,  evidently  in  a 
great  hurry. 

"  Tom,"  he  said,  as  he  entered  the  cabin,  hot  and 
perspiring,  "  I  have  some  news  for  you.  First  of  all, 
though,  I  must  tell  you  that  if  you  want  to  get  to  Sydney 
quickly,  you  can  leave  here  to-morrow  in  that  little 
brig  lying  astern  of  us — the  Rio.  She  sails  in  a  couple  of 
days." 

"  I  am  in  no  hurry,  captain.  I  will  stay  with  you. 
But  I  can  write  by  her  and  tell  my  people  that  they  will 
soon  see  me." 

"  Ah,  do — ^for  I  want  you  to  stay  with  me.  But  I 
must  tell  you  that  the  news  I  have  heard  from  the 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  1 83 

Consul  means  that  we  won't  be  in  Sydney  for  the  next 
six  months." 

"  I  don't  mind  that,  captain.  I  mean  to  keep  with 
you  till  the  end  of  this  cruise — and  after  as  well.  But 
what  has  changed  your  plans  ?  " 

"  I  have  just  met  a  man  in  Levuka  named  Ross,  who 
has  offered  me  big  money  for  a  four  months'  charter  for 
the  barque.  He  has  found  a  big  bed  of  pearl-shell 
somewhere  about  New  Guinea,  and  came  here  with  his 
wife  and  one  native  in  a  little  bit  of  a  cutter — a  voyage 
of  two  thousand  five  hundred  miles,  and  most  of  it 
beating  against  the  south-east  trades.  He  has  some 
friends  here  who  are  backing  him,  and  from  what  I 
gather,  he  and  they  expect  to  make  a  pile  out  of  his  dis- 
covery. I  have  come  to  terms  with  them,  and  agreed 
to  have  the  barque  ready  for  sea  in  a  week  from  now. 
Where  we  are  going  to  exactly  I  don't  know,  for  Ross — 
he's  an  American — ^would  not  tell  me  anything  more 
just  now,  than  that  he  wanted  me  to  proceed  to  *  some- 
where about  2°  30'  S.  Long,  and  147°  E.* ;  but  once  we 
are  clear  of  Levuka  he  will  give  me  exact  sailing  in- 
structions." 

"  I  see.  I  suppose  he  thinks  you  might  talk  about  it 
to  some  one  here.'* 

"  Exactly ;  and  so  I  said  I  would  take  my  sailing 
directions  from  him  when  he  chose  to  give  them."  Then 
he  went  on  to  say  that  Ross  had  told  him  that  the 


184  The  Adventures  of  a  Sufer  car  go 

natives  of  the  island  where  the  pearl  beds  were  situated, 
were  a  very  dangerous  lot  of  savages,  and  the  crew  of 
the  barque  would  have  to  be  doubled,  and  all  well- 
armed. 

As  quickly  as  possible  Grace  sold  the  remainder  of 
his  cargo,  and  in  a  few  days  began  to  prepare  the  ship  in 
accordance  with  Ross's  wishes.  Ross  himself,  with  his 
friends,  had  meanwhile  found  ten  good  native  seamen — 
Rarotongans,  Nuieans,  and  two  Samoans.  They  were 
told  that  they  were  required  for  boat  work,  and  sup- 
posed, as  did  the  white  residents  of  Levuka,  that  the 
barque  was  fitting  out  for  a  "  labour  "  cruise  among  the 
Solomon  Islands  and  the  New  Hebrides  Group.  In 
those  days  vessels  engaged  in  the  labour  trade,  or 
"  black-birding  "  as  it  was  termed,  had  to  be  well-armed 
to  resist  the  determined  attempts  sometimes  made  to 
capture  them  by  the  savage  natives.  The  German 
ships  in  particular  more  resembled  old-time  privateers 
than  any  other  kind  of  craft,  and  yet  in  some  cases  they 
had  had  narrow  escapes  from  capture. 

On  the  following  day  Ross  came  on  board  with  his 
wife  and  introduced  himself  to  Denison.  He  was  a  tall, 
thin,  grey-haired  man  of  over  fifty  years  of  age,  with 
deep-set,  resolute  eyes,  and  a  square  jaw,  and  although 
he  was  a  somewhat  reserved  man,  Tom  and  he  were 
quickly  on  friendly  terms.  His  wife,  who  was  a  half- 
caste  Marquesan,  was  a  slenderly-built  woman,  or  rather 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  185 

girl,  of  about  twenty,  and  when  Tom  asked  her  if  she 
was  coming  with  her  husband,  she  opened  her  dark, 
beautiful  eyes  in  astonishment  at  his  question. 

"  Why,  of  course  I  am,  Mr.  Denison.  Do  you  think 
he  would  leave  me  behind,  or  that  I  would  let  him  go 
alone  ?  "  and  she  smiled  at  her  husband. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

Six  hours  after  the  Meg  Merrilies  left  Levuka,  and  when 
the  lofty  irregular  peaks  of  Ovalau  Island  were  low  down 
on  the  horizon  astern,  Ross  came  to  Grace. 

"  Boudeuse  Bay,  Admiralty  Island,  is  the  place, 
Captain  Grace." 

The  master  of  the  barque  took  down  his  roll  of  charts 
and  spread  out  Sheet  No.  12. 

"  There  it  is,"  and  the  American  indicated  a  small  inlet 
on  the  north  side  of  the  island. 

"  All  right.  North  about  round  New  Ireland  will  be 
our  best  course,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Yes,  best  and  easiest.  We'll  run  into  the  two  knot 
westerly  current  just  off  the  Santa  Cruz  Group,  and  carry 
it  right  along  up  to  Admiralty  Island." 

Steering  a  north-westerly  course  the  barque  was  soon 

clear  of  the  Fiji  Group,  and  under  every  stitch  of  canvas 

she  could  set  was  flying  before  the  strong  south-east 

trade.     At  supper  that  night,  as  there  was  now  no  further 

need  of  concealment,  Ross  told  Denison  and  Grace  his 

story. 

186 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  187 

"  You  saw  my  little  cutter  in  Levuka.  I  built  her 
myself  three  years  ago  at  Nuku-Hiva  in  the  Marquesas, 
where  I  was  trading,  and  where  I  married.  My  wife's 
father  was  an  Englishman,  and  had  knocked  about  the 
South  Seas  for  forty  years.  He  died  a  year  ago  from 
sheer  old  age. 

"  One  day  he  and  I  were  talking  about  our  experiences, 
and  he  told  me  that  when  he  was  cooper  of  a  Marble- 
head  whaler,  the  ship  put  into  Callie  Harbour  on  Ad- 
miralty Island  to  wood  and  water — Callie  Harbour  is 
about  four  miles  to  leeward  of  Boudeuse  Bay — and  that 
the  natives  who  came  on  board  brought  with  them  for 
barter  lots  of  big,  golden-edged  pearl  shells  and  pearls 
as  well,  and  told  him  that  there  was  any  amount  of  shell 
at  several  places  on  the  north  side  of  the  island. 

"  I  was  not  doing  well  at  trading  on  Nuku-Hiva,  and 
after  the  old  man  died,  Sina  and  I  made  up  our  minds  to 
try  the  Admiralty  Group,  and  see  if  we  could  hit  upon  the 
pearl  beds  of  which  he  had  been  told.  We  left  Nuku- 
Hiva  in  June  with  a  crew  of  four,  all  Nuku-Hiva  men, 
and  all  good  divers,  and  reached  a  place  near  Boudeuse 
Bay  in  the  middle  of  July.  I  anchored  for  the  night  off 
a  village  of  about  fifty  houses,  and  at  daylight  we  were 
boarded  by  a  lot  of  natives,  and  in  a  few  minutes  I  was 
satisfied  that  we  had  come  to  the  right  place,  for  one  of 
them  brought  off  a  small  basket  with  ten  of  the  biggest 
pearl  shells  I  have  ever  seen.     In  the  course  of  the  day  I 


1 88  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

was  shown  one  place  where,  in  six  fathoms,  I  could  see 
big  shell  quite  plainly  without  a  water  glass. 

"  I  arranged  with  the  chief  of  this  particular  village  to 
build  me  a  small  dwelling-house  on  a  tiny  island  of  less 
than  three  acres  in  extent,  and  situated  a  mile  from  the 
mainland.  Here,  I  felt,  we  would  be  safer  from  attack 
than  were  we  living  in  or  near  the  native  village.  We 
could  not  remain  on  the  cutter  until  after  she  had  been 
beached  and  repaired ;  for  she  was  leaking  badly ; 
so  we  put  her  ashore  on  the  lee-side  of  the  islet,  and  set  to 
work.  The  natives  from  the  village,  which  was  under  a 
chief  named  Norok,  visited  us  several  times,  bringing 
provisions,  and  giving  me  assistance  with  the  cutter  in  a 
friendly  manner. 

"  All  went  well  for  about  ten  days.  The  cutter  was 
finished  and  was  afloat  again,  and  at  anchor  a  cable 
length  from  the  beach,  ready  to  start  on  a  trip  along  the 
coast  in  the  morning  with  Norok  as  pilot.  Norok 
himself  slept  on  the  island  that  night  with  some  of  his 
young  men — about  twenty. 

"  My  wife,  most  fortunately,  decided  to  stay  on  shore 
with  me,  and  slept  in  the  little  house  ;  Norok,  one  of  my 
Marquesans,  and  I  spread  our  mats  outside  under  the 
trees,  and  remained  up  smoking  and  talking  well  past 
midnight.  The  chief  is  a  very  intelligent  man — you'll 
see  him  when  we  get  to  Boudeuse — and  had  given  me 
much  useful  information  about  the  great  island  and  its 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  1 89 

people,  who  are  divided  into  several  clans,  and  always 
at  war  with  each  other.  Thirty  miles  away  from  his  own 
village,  he  told  me,  was  a  big  village  under  a  chief  named 
Varogi,  who  had  living  with  him  a  white  man  called 
*  Timi.'  Norok  had  never  seen  him,  for  Varogi  and  he 
(Norok)  were  enemies — their  respective  clans  having 
been  at  loggerheads  for  over  fifty  years. 

"  '  The  white  man,'  said  Norok,  *  came  here  ten  years 
ago,  and  Varogi,  who  is  a  kai  kanak  (man-eater)  made 
much  of  him,  and  gave  him  land,  a  house,  and  many 
\vives.  He  has  red  hair,  and  his  nose  is  broken  in  the 
middle,  and  is  turned  on  one  side.  Five  years  ago  a 
sandal-wood  brig  anchored  oflF  Varogi's  village,  and  he 
and  Timi  enticed  the  captain  and  three  other  white  men 
on  shore  to  sleep,  and  murdered  them  as  they  slept. 
Then,  at  dawn  as  the  rest  of  the  white  men  on  board  the 
brig  were  asleep,  Varogi's  young  men,  led  by  the  white 
man,  swam  off  to  her  and  killed  all  of  them.  They 
plundered  the  ship,  and  then  burnt  it ;  and  after  they 
had  eaten  the  bodies  of  the  white  men,  they  dried  and 
smoked  their  heads  and  put  them  in  the  gamal  house.' 

"  I  had  told  the  three  Marquesans  who  were  sleeping 
on  board,  that  they  need  not  keep  watch.  They  had 
been  working  hard  all  day,  were  tired  out,  and  wanted  a 
rest,  and,  besides  that,  Norok's  men  were  lying  on  their 
mats  on  the  beach  close  to  their  canoes,  and,  if  anything 
did  occur  in  the  night,  such  as  sudden  squalls  coming 


190  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

down  from  the  mountains  and  causing  the  cutter  to 
drag,  we  could  have  gone  to  the  crew's  assistance  in  less 
than  five  minutes. 

"  The  night  was  calm  and  quiet,  and  only  the  dulled 
sound  of  the  surf  on  the  reef,  and  the  swish  of  the  coco- 
nut branches  as  they  swayed  to  the  land  breeze  was 
heard  by  those  of  Norok's  men  who  were  not  asleep. 
Then,  just  as  dawn  broke,  I  was  aroused  by  wild  cries, 
and  Norok  cried  out  that  the  cutter  was  being  attacked 
by  four  strange  canoes,  which  had  laid  alongside  of  her 
unseen  by  any  of  our  people  from  the  shore. 

"  We  all  made  a  rush  for  our  canoes  on  the  beach, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  were  on  board,  fighting  hand  to 
hand  with  over  fifty  natives.  We  succeeded  in  beating 
them  off  after  a  sharp  struggle,  killing  seven  and  taking 
three  prisoners.  These — before  Norok's  men  clubbed 
them  on  the  deck — told  us  that  the  white  man,  Timi, 
from  Varogi's  village,  had  led  the  party,  and  had  gone 
away  wounded.  He  had  seen  the  cutter  off  the  coast  on 
the  day  we  came,  and  he  and  Varogi  arranged  to  cut  her 
out,  if  they  had  to  do  it  right  under  Norok's  eyes.  And 
they  would  have  succeeded  if  this  cut-throat  of  a  I'imi 
— which  I  suppose  means  either  '  Jim  '  or  '  Tim  '  had 
been  a  sailorman,  and  known  how  to  slip  the  cable  and 
make  sail.  The  prisoners  said  that  he  and  his  crowd 
were  trying  to  get  the  anchor  aboard  by  hauling  in  the 
cable  by  hand  when  we  came  upon  them. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  191 

"  My  three  poor  Marquesans  had  been  slaughtered 
in  their  sleep,  I  imagine.  Their  headless  bodies  were 
lying  on  the  main  hatch.  We  took  them  ashore  to  the 
little  island,  and  I  buried  them  decently.  Then  Norok 
and  I  had  a  long  talk,  and  I  told  him  that  I  was  going 
away  to  Fiji,  but  should  come  back  with  a  big  ship  and 
a  strong  crew,  get  the  pearl  shell,  and  give  him  a  chance 
to  get  even  with  Varogi.  Now,  gentlemen,  that's  the 
end  of  my  yarn.  Captain  Grace,  I'm  thirsty.  Sina, 
turn  in." 

Ross  was  not  a  talkative  man,  and  said  nothing  to 
Denison  and  Grace  of  the  fearful  hardships  that  he,  his 
wife,  and  the  surviving  native  seaman  had  endured  on 
the  long  voyage  to  Fiji. 


CHAPTER   XXV 

Ten  weeks  had  gone  by,  and  the  barque  was  at  anchor 
in  the  little  bay  on  the  shore  of  which  stood  Norok's 
village.  She  had  made  a  very  fast  passage  from  Fiji, 
and  Norok  and  his  people  were  delighted  to  see  Ross  back 
so  soon,  and  for  some  days  there  was  much  slaughter 
of  hogs  and  fowls,  and  subsequent  feasting  in  honour  of 
the  visitors. 

Denison  found  Norok  to  be  as  Ross  had  said,  a  very 
intelligent  person.  He  was  a  handsome  well-built  man 
of  about  fifty  years  of  age,  but  had  lost  the  use  of  his 
left  arm  by  a  pistol  shot,  which  had  fractured  the  elbow 
joint.  He  frankly  admitted  that  he  had  received  the 
injury  in  his  younger  days,  when  he  and  a  number  of  his 
people  cut  off  an  American  whaleship,  and  massacred 
every  soul  on  board. 

Within  a  week  after  the  arrival  of  the  barque,  Ross  had 

begun  operations.    Every  morning  two  boats  manned  by 

the  native  crew  left  the  ship,  and  proceeded  to  the  pearl 

shell   beds,    seven   miles   distant,    returning   at   night. 

Norok  always  sent  a  large  canoe,  manned  by  thirty  of 

193 


The  Adventures  of  a  Stifercargo  193 

his  men  to  protect  Ross  and  his  divers,  should  they  be 
attacked  by  Varogi's  people,  for  the  beds  were  near  to 
that  part  of  the  coast  of  which  he  was  chief,  and  on 
several  occasions  canoes  from  Varogi's  villages  had 
approached  within  musket  shot  of  the  boats,  and  fired 
at  the  divers  with  the  few  old-fashioned  smooth  bore 
muskets  they  possessed.  Then,  one  day,  Ross  let  them 
approach  so  near  that  he  and  his  natives  were  able  to 
use  their  breech-loading  rifles  with  effect,  killing  and 
wounding  several  of  the  enemy,  who  at  once  headed  for 
the  shore  with  all  possible  speed,  and  they  did  not  again 
venture  within  gunshot  of  the  boats. 

But,  shortly  after  this,  some  of  Varogi's  people  cap- 
tured a  little  girl  belonging  to  Norok's  village,  and  held 
her  to  ransom.  The  ransom  was  paid,  and  when  the 
child  was  brought  back  she  delivered  a  message  from 
Varogi  to  the  chief. 

"  Tell  Norok  that  I,  Varogi  and  my  white  man  Timi, 
will  have  his  head,  and  the  head  of  some  of  the  white 
men  in  my  gamal  house  before  many  moons  have 
passed," 

The  insult  stung  Norok,  and  he  pressed  Ross  to  lend 
him  his  native  crew  with  their  rifles,  so  that  he  could 
make  a  night  attack  on  Varogi's  town  and  burn  it. 

"  Not  now,  Norok.  But  I  will  fulfil  the  promise  I 
made  to  you  when  I  was  here  before.  When  I  have 
finished  the  work  I  am  doing,  I  myself  will  lead  my  men, 

13 


194  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

and  help  you  to  your  revenge.  I  mean  also  to  have  utu 
(revenge)  upon  the  white  man  with  the  broken  nose — 
he  who  killed  my  three  sailors,  one  of  whom  was  my  wife's 
foster-brother." 

Norok  was  so  pleased  that  he  summoned  a  meeting 
of  the  people,  and  told  them  that  before  long  Varogi's 
head,  and  the  head  of  the  white  man  as  well  might  be  in 
his,  (Norok's)  gamal  house,  and  old  Captain  Grace 
shuddered  when  a  savage  yell  of  delight  burst  from  many 
hundreds  of  throats,  and  Pohiri  translated  his  words  to 
him  and  Denison. 

"  Well,  I  won't  have  any  hand  in  it,"  he  said,  "  Cap- 
tain Ross  can  do  what  he  likes  with  his  natives,  but 
none  of  my  men  will  go." 


The  barque  was  moored  so  close  in  to  the  beach  that 
the  end  of  her  jibboom  almost  touched  the  branches  of 
a  giant  teak  tree,  which,  with  other  forest  monarchs, 
stood  on  a  spur  of  the  mountain  range  that  seemed  to 
start  sheer  upwards  from  the  north  side  of  the  usually 
calm  waters  of  the  little  bay ;  on  the  south  side  was 
the  village,  lying  back  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the 
white  beach,  and  almost  hidden  from  view  by  groves  of 
breadfruit  and  orange  trees,  and  far  back  a  waterfall 
— a  thin,  silvery  thread — showed  out  clearly  against 
the  verdured  mountain  side. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  ,  195 

One  afternoon,  as  the  sun  was  sloping  westward,  and 
the  forest  shadows  were  lengthening  out  across  the 
unruffled  surface  of  the  bay,  Denison  and  Sina  Ross 
were  lying  in  their  hammocks  under  the  awning  on  the 
after-deck.  The  ship  was  very  quiet,  for  Grace,  with 
the  two  mates,  and  most  of  the  hands  had  gone  on  shore 
with  the  ship's  seine  to  drag  one  of  the  mountain  pools 
for  fish,  leaving  only  two  or  three  men  on  board  with 
Jack  Castles  (who  was  now  boatswain)  in  charge. 

"  Of  what  are  you  thinking,  Mr.  Denison  ?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Ross,  as  she  turned  in  her  hammock  and  looked 
at  the  supercargo,  who  was  lying  with  his  hands  under  his 
head,  buried  in  thought. 

"  I  was  thinking,  Mrs.  Ross,  of  this  scoundrel  of  a 
white  man  Timi,  as  the  natives  call  him,  and  trying  to 
piece  together  what  I  was  told  when  I  was  a  child,  of  the 
man  who  shot  my  father  in  Tasmania.  He  was,  as  I 
have  told  you,  named  Tim — Tim  Hogan — and  had  a 
broken  nose  and  red  hair,  and  soon  after  my  father's 
death  it  was  rumoured  that  he  had  escaped  from  Tas- 
mania in  an  American  whale-ship." 

"  Ah  !  "  and  Sina  Ross's  dark  eyes  gleamed  as  she 
sat  up  and  tossed  back  her  jetty  locks,  "  ah,  you  think  it 
is  the  same  man  !  I  wonder  if  he  is  !  If  it  is  the  man, 
then  you  have  the  greater  right  for  utu  than  I,  for 
although  he  killed  my  foster-brother  and  took  away  his 
head,  he  murdered  your  father  cruelly — oh,  I  long  for 


196  The  Adventures  of  a  Super  car  go 

the  time  when  my  husband  has  finished  with  the  pearl- 
ing ;  for  I  mean  to  go  with  him  and  Norok  when  they 
burn  that  town." 

"  And  so  do  I,  Mrs.  Ross.  If  possible,  I  mean  to  see 
this  man  Timi,  alive  or  dead,  and  satisfy  myself  as  to 
whether  he  is  the  man  who  murdered  my  poor  father." 

"  Ah,  you  must  see  him  alive,  Mr.  Denison,"  and  the 
half-caste  showed  her  white  teeth,  "  you  must  see  him 
alive,  and  find  out  if  he  is  the  man — then  if  he  is,  you  can 
kill  him  yourself — oh,  yes,  take  your  utuP 

"  I  could  not  do  that  in  cold  blood,  Mrs.  Ross.  If  he 
is  the  man  who  killed  my  father,  I  should  like  to  take  him 
to  Australia,  and  hand  him  over  to  the  authorities, 
who " 

The  Marquesan,  with  eyes  aglow,  slipped  from  her 
hammock,  and  came  over  to  him. 

"  What  good  will  that  do  you  ?  that  is  not  revenge. 
Do  you  think  if  any  one  killed  my  husband  that  I  would 
be  satisfied  to  know  that  his  murderer  would  be  put  to 
death  by  strangers  !  Ah,  no,  Mr.  Denison,  I  should  kill 
him  myself,  even  if  I  died  for  it." 

And  as  Tom  looked  into  her  flashing  eyes,  he  fully 
believed  her. 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

One  gloriously  bright  morning,  just  as  the  rising  sun 
began  to  dispel  the  fleecy  sea  mist,  and  the  loud  croo  ! 
croo  !  of  the  great  red-crested  pigeons  sounded  from  the 
teak  tree  forest,  Denison,  Castles,  Pohiri,  and  one  of  the 
Norok's  men  set  out  in  Tom's  own  boat  for  a  three  days' 
cruise  around  the  coast,  intending  to  go  as  far  as  a  town 
named  Lak,  nearly  forty  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Boude- 
use  Bay,  Its  chief  was  a  very  old  man,  who  was  a  blood 
relation  of  Norok,  and  the  latter  assured  Tom  that  he 
and  his  party  would  be  treated  with  the  greatest  hos- 
pitality. The  Lak  people,  he  said,  were,  like  his  own,  at 
enmity  with  Varogi,  whose  territory  lay  between,  and 
he  warned  Tom  against  keeping  in  too  close  to  the  land 
when  sailing  past  that  part  of  the  coast  belonging  to 
Varogi. 

"  The  wind  might  fail  you,"  he  said,  "  and  although 
you  have  rifles  which  fire  many  shots  quickly,  Varogi's 
men  could  shoot  you  all  from  the  forest,  which  is  very 
thick,  and  which  comes  right  down  to  the  water's  edge 

— so  beware." 

197 


1 98  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

During  the  passage  from  Levuka,  Castles  had  China- 
rigged  Tom's  boat,  i.e.,  fitted  her  mainsail  with  a  dozen 
of  bamboo  laths  running  all  the  way  across  it,  which  had 
the  effect  of  so  flattening  the  sail  that  the  little  craft 
sailed  much  closer  up  into  the  wind,  and  when  going 
about,  she  would  spin  round  on  her  heel  like  a 
top. 

The  native  who  was  accompanying  them  as  pilot  and 
interpreter  was  a  nephew  of  Norok.  He  was  a  fine, 
stalwart  young  fellow  of  about  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
and  had  proudly  informed  Denison  that  he  had  taken 
the  heads  of  seven  of  Varogi's  people,  had  three  wives, 
two  slaves,  and  had  made  a  voyage  in  a  New  Bedford 
whaler.  He  insisted  on  bringing  with  him  his  own  arms 
— half-a-dozen  slender  spears  pointed  with  obsidian,  a 
club,  and  an  obsidian  dagger,  and  observed  in  a  casual 
manner  to  Castles  that  on  the  way  back  he  intended 
to  try  and  purchase  or  abduct  one  of  the  Lak  girls  for  a 
fourth  wife.  If  he  failed  at  Lak,  no  doubt  Tamu 
(Denison)  would  let  him  try  his  luck  at  some  small 
isolated  village  elsewhere  on  the  coast ;  perhaps  if  he 
could  not  secure  a  girl  handsome  enough  for  a  wife,  he 
might  capture  a  boy  for  a  slave — possibly  also  he  might 
be  lucky  enough  to  get  the  head  of  a  grown  man. 

Denison  laughed  as  Castles  translated  these  remarks 
to  him,  "  What  a  thundering  ruffian  he  is.  Jack.  He'll 
get  us  into  trouble  if  we  don't  watch  him.     If  he  wants 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  1 99 

to  do  any  wife-stealing  he  can  go  in  his  own  craft,  and 
not  lead  us  into  any  mess." 

Pat,  as  the  would-be  abductor,  head-searcher,  and 
slave-seeker  was  named,  looked  disappointed  when  he 
was  told  that  the  boat  was  not  bound  on  a  wife-stealing 
trip,  and  would  avoid  Varogi's  villages.  However,  he 
soon  brightened  up  when  Sina  Ross  presented  him  with  a 
new  pipe,  two  sticks  of  tobacco  and  a  large  box  of  wax 
matches. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Denison,"  she  said  as  she  leant  over  the 
rail  and  looked  down  at  the  boat,  "  your  boat  is  a  little 
man-of-war — two  rifles,  two  shot  guns  and  spears,  a 
club,  and  Pat's  glass  dagger.  Oh,  I  wish  I  had  known 
you  were  going — I  am  sure  my  husband  would  let  me  come 
with  you.     I  shall  be  dull  until  the  boats  come  back." 

"  Why  not  take  your  gun  and  go  pigeon-shooting  up 
the  mountain,  Mrs.  Ross.  Pat  says  that  now  is  the  time, 
too,  for  the  manu  mea  (i)  in  the  banana  plantations. 
Come,  get  your  gun,  and  we  will  put  you  on  shore  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river." 

(i)  The  manu  mea  (the  "  Red  Bird  "  of  Samoa)  is, 
although  now  almost  extinct  in  Samoa  and  Fiji,  still 
fairly  plentiful  in  New  Britain  and  other  islands  to  the 
N.W.  It  is  a  tooth-billed  pigeon  {Didunculus  Strigir- 
ostris)  and  has  the  beak  of  a  parrot,  the  upper  mandible 
hooked,  the  lower  deeply  serrated.  It  feeds  upon  the 
wild  yam,  and  also  upon  bananas  and  pineapples.  It  is 
about  the  size  of  a  three-quarter  grown  hen  pheasant ; 
plumage  of  head,  neck,  breast  and  back,  of  darn  greenish 


200  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Ah,  that  is  just  the  thing,"  said  the  lively  Mar- 
quesan,  and  she  tripped  below,  returning  in  a  few  minutes 
with  her  gun  and  game  bag,  and  looking  very  charming 
in  her  white  blouse,  short  blue  skirt,  and  white  Panama 
hat,  which  almost  hid  the  dark  oval  face  and  black  glossy 
locks. 

Descending  the  gangway  ladder,  Mrs.  Ross  seated  her- 
self beside  Tom,  the  boat  cast  off,  and  was  soon  gliding 
gently  over  the  smooth  waters  of  the  way,  as  yet  only 
beginning  to  ripple  to  the  first  breaths  of  the  trade  wind. 
A  run  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  she  was  run  on  to  a 
soft  beach  of  yellow  sand,  fringed  by  the  usual  forest  of 
coconut  and  areca  palms,  through  which  a  shady  path 
led  to  Norok's  banana  and  taro  plantations.  Some 
young  girls  who  were  seated  on  the  beach  making  baskets, 
ran  to  meet  Mrs.  Ross  and  begged  her  to  let  them  come 
with  her,  for  she  was  already  a  great  favourite,  especially 
with  the  women  and  children,  and  they  all  soon  dis- 
appeared among  the  trees. 

Pushing  off  again,  the  boat  was  headed  to  the  east  and 

black;  the  sides,  wings  and  lower  parts  of  the  body  gener- 
ally of  a  purple  red  ;  the  bill,  reddish  orange,  with  tips 
of  pale  yellow  ;  legs  and  feet  a  brilliant  scarlet,  the  toes 
thick,  coarse,  and  wide-spread  like  those  of  a  turkey. 
The  writer  confesses  with  sorrow,  that  in  his  younger 
days,  not  knowing  that  the  manu  mea  was  a  bird  eagerly 
sought  for  by  the  scientific  world,  he  has  shot  and  eaten 
numbers  of  them  ;  others  he  kept  as  pets,  and  had  them 
either  stolen  or  devoured  by  cats. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  201 

north,  making  a  short  leg  and  a  long  one  against  the  now 
freshening  breeze.  In  another  hour,  just  after  rounding 
a  low,  wooded  point,  Ross's  pearling  boats  were  sighted 
at  work  about  a  mile  from  the  shore,  with  Norok's 
big  canoe  containing  the  covering  party  of  armed  natives 
standing  by  on  guard. 

After  spending  an  hour  with  Ross,  and  watching  the 
diving,  Denison  bade  him  good-bye,  and  then  once  more 
the  smart  little  craft  spun  out  to  sea,  beating  to  the 
eastward. 


CHAPTER   XXVII 

Towards  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  boat  had 
worked  up  to  within  ten  miles  of  Lak,  and  was  abreast 
of  Varogi's  principal  town,  the  houses  of  which  could  be 
seen.  Two  miles  further  to  the  eastward,  there  was,  so 
Pat  said,  another  and  much  smaller  town,  in  which  the 
white  man  Timi  lived,  and  which  could  not  be  seen  from 
the  sea,  as  it  was  situated  inland,  on  a  spur  of  the 
mountain  range  facing  to  the  south. 

Towards  sunset,  the  boat  was  put  about,  and  was 
lying  well  up  along  the  barrier  reef  when  the  wind  be- 
came very  light — a  most  unusual  occurrence  at  that  time 
of  the  year,  and  soon,  much  to  Denison's  disgust,  it  fell 
a  dead  calm,  and  the  air  grew  hot  and  uncomfortable. 

"  I  think  we  are  going  to  have  a  bit  of  an  afa  (squall) 
from  the  eastward,"  said  Castles.  "  Look,"  and  he 
pointed  to  the  eastern  horizon,  "  it's  blackening  up 
much  too  fast  for  my  liking.  We  had  better  reef  down 
at  once.  It  will  be  no  joke  if  we  get  caught  here  with  the 
reef  so  close  under  our  lee,  and  no  opening  to  run  for 
until  we  get  abreast  of  Lak  passage." 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  203 

"  Why  not  let  us  down  sail  and  pull  back  for  a  couple 
of  miles,  till  we  get  abreast  of  Varogi's  town,"  said 
Denison  ;  "  there  is  a  passage  through  the  reef  there, 
and  as  it  is  now  dark,  no  one  will  see  us,  and  once  we  are 
inside  the  reef  we  shall  be  in  smooth  water,  and  can  rip 
along  up  the  coast." 

But  to  this  proposition  Pat  objected  most  strongly. 
There  were  certain  to  be  some  of  Varogi's  people  out  on 
the  reef  fishing,  for  the  tide  was  on  the  ebb  ;  and,  as  if  to 
confirm  his  words,  there  suddenly  flared  out  the  lights  of 
several  torches,  and  in  less  than  ten  minutes  there 
were  several  scores  of  them  visible  and  moving 
about. 

"  They  are  men  catching  crayfish,"  said  Pat,  "  and 
could  not  but  see  us,  for  they  are  walking  along  the  reef 
on  both  sides  of  the  passage."  And  then  he  added  that 
even  if  the  boat  did  get  through  unobserved,  that  the 
smooth  water  inside  the  reef  was  full  of  hidden  dangers — 
detached  coral  reefs,  and  a  great  number  of  stone  fish 
weirs,  upon  which  the  boat  would  certainly  strike,  for 
they  were  scattered  about  everywhere  between  the  outer 
or  barrier  reef  and  the  shore.  And  then  he  remarked 
in  a  very  decided  tone  that  he  at  any  rate  did  not  mean 
to  go  into  one  of  Varogi's  ovens,  and  have  his  head  put 
into  a  gamal  house. 

"  Oh,  well,  it  is  no  use  talking,"  said  Denison  crossly, 
"  down  sail  and  mast,  Castles,  and  let  us  pull  out  and  get 


2 04  Th e  Adven tures  of  a  Sup ercarg o 

as  good  an  offing  as  we  can  before  the  squall  is  down  on 
us — as  it  is  we  are  too  close  in  to  the  breakers." 

In  a  very  few  minutes  the  boat  was  heading  due  east, 
Castles  and  Denison  pulling,  and  Pohiri  steering.  The 
sky  was  now  of  an  intense  blackness,  not  a  single  star 
was  visible,  and  as  the  two  men  strained  at  the  oars, 
and  the  little  craft  rose  and  fell  over  the  heave  of  the  sea, 
the  perspiration  poured  from  them. 

"  I  should  like  to  see  it  whiten  a  bit,"  remarked  the 
half-caste,  as  he  turned  and  looked  ahead,  "  there's  a 
lot  of  wind,  and  very  little  rain.  Listen,"  and  he  stopped 
pulling,  "  by  Jove,  sir,  we  shall  get  it  hot  and  no  mistake. 
Listen  to  the  hum  of  it." 

There  was  no  need  to  listen,  for  a  curious  droning 
sound  could  be  distinctly  heard. 

"  Up  with  the  mast  again,  Mr.  Denison,  and  we'll 
give  her  just  a  couple  of  the  laths  only.  Smart's  the 
word,  or  we'll  feel  sorry." 

Quickly  stepping  the  light  but  strong  mast,  and 
hooking  on  and  tautening  the  stays,  Denison  then  went 
aft,  and  sent  the  native  amidships  to  stand  by  and  bail, 
and  Castles  hoisted  the  closely-reefed  sail,  and  all  four 
anxiously  awaited.  Suddenly  the  whole  firmament  was 
ablaze,  for  one  brief  moment,  with  a  network  of  chain 
lightning,  then  again  the  black  pall  of  darkness  enveloped 
them,  and  a  breath  of  hot  air  smote  their  heated  faces, 
and  the  boat  heeled  over  to  it. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  205 

"  Hard  up,  hard  up  !  "  cried  Castles,  "  let  her  run  a 
bit  until  we  get  the  hang  of  it  "  (he  meant  the  direction 
of  the  squall),  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  boat  was  racing 
over  the  long  rolling  swell,  and  their  voices  drowned  in 
the  angry  roar  of  the  wind. 

"  That'll  do,  sir,"  shouted  Castles,  "  let  her  come  up  a 
bit.  She'll  stand  it,  and  we  can  lie  along  the  reef  without 
getting  in  any  closer." 

Tom  obeyed,  and  the  boat  heeled  over,  and  then 
plunged  and  darted  over  a  sea  and  into  the  trough  beyond 
with  a  splash  that  half-smothered  her. 

"  Watch  her,  sir,  watch  her  !  "  roared  the  half-caste, 
as  he  and  his  companions  were  almost  blinded  by  a  quick 
succession  of  appalling  lightning  flashes,  and  Pat  threw 
himself  on  his  face  on  the  bottom  boards,  too  terrified 
to  again  look  up,  and  not  troubling  to  attend  to  his 
bailing. 

For  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  boat  flew  along 
over  the  tops  of  the  now  fierce  sea,  shipping  but  little 
water,  but  straining  and  working  in  an  alarming  manner. 
Every  now  and  then  the  fearful  lightning  would  for  a 
moment  reveal  the  wild  swirl  of  seething  billows,  and 
Denison  and  Castles  sat  in  anxious  silence,  hoping  that 
the  strength  of  the  squall  would  soon  pass. 

Then  came  a  savage  gust  that  nearly  capsized  the 
boat,  and  a  yell  from  Castles,  as  with  one  hand  he  let 
go  the  halliards,  and  with  the  other  "  downed  "  the  bit 


2  o6  The  A  dv entures  of  a  Sup  ercarg o 

of  sail.  He  was  too  late.  The  weather  stay  had  parted, 
and  the  mast  snapped  off  at  the  thwart  and  went  over- 
board. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

As  the  mast  and  sail  went  over  the  side,  Castles,  a  born 
sailor-man,  cut  the  other  stay  and  saved  the  boat  from 
being  overwhelmed  by  the  seas,  for  the  whole  gear — 
mast  and  bamboo-lathed  sail  was  soon  floating  ahead, 
and  made  an  excellent  sea-anchor,  held  to  the  boat's 
head  by  the  steel  wire  forestay,  which  was,  however, 
too  short  for  her  to  ride  at  with  safety. 

Shouting  to  Denison  and  Pat  to  keep  aft  and  bail, 
the  half-caste  and  Pohiri  broke  the  ring  of  the  stay  with 
a  hatchet,  and  then  made  the  end  of  it  fast  to  the  painter 
and  gradually  payed  out  the  lengthened  line,  with  the 
result  that  the  staunch  little  craft  rode  much  more  easily 
over  the  seas. 

"  Can  you  see  anything  of  the  reef  ?  "  called  Castles 
to  Tom,  as  he  sat  on  the  mast-thwart  with  his  back 
turned,  peering,  or  rather  trying  to  peer,  through  the 
darkness  at  the  sea-anchor  line,  fearful  that  it  would 
part. 

"  No,  but  we  cannot  be  more  than  a  mile  away,  I 

2o7 


2o8  The  Adventures  of  a  Sufer  car  go 

think ;  but  I  can  see  nothing — not  even  any  of  the 
natives'  torches  now." 

"  Oh,  they  will  light  up  again,  I  daresay,  as  soon  as  the 
wind  takes  off.  It  can't  last  much  longer — it  came  on 
too  suddenly." 

Some  anxious  minutes  passed,  and  then  all  four  of 
them  heard  through  the  wild  whistle  of  the  wind  the 
dulled  thunder  of  the  surf,  and  knew  that  despite  the 
sea-anchor  retarding  their  drifting  very  considerably, 
they  would  be  among  the  breakers  in  another  quarter  of 
an  hour,  or  less. 

"  Look  !  "  cried  Castles  presently,  "  it  is  beginning  to 
break  to  windward — I  can  see  a  few  stars  coming  out.  I 
have  never  known  any  of  these  black  easterly  squalls 
with  no  first  rain  to  last  more  than  an  hour — sometimes 
not  more  than  twenty  minutes."  Then  he  asked  Pat 
his  opinion,  and  the  native  replied  that  he  was  sure  that 
the  wind  would  die  away  very  quickly,  and  most  likely 
be  followed  by  a  heavy  downpour  of  rain. 

"  All  the  better  for  us,"  said  Castles,  "  for  if  the  wind 
and  sea  go  down,  and  we  have  some  more  starlight,  we 
ought  to  be  able  to  get  the  boat  somewhere  over  the  reef. 
Those  natives  who  are  fishing  must  be  a  mile  off,  and 
cannot  see  us,  and  they'll  have  no  chance  at  all  of  dis- 
covering the  boat  if  the  rain  begins  to  fall.  Now,  this 
is  what  I  think  the  four  of  us  should  do,  Mr.  Denison. 
Can  you  hear  me  speaking  ?  " 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  209 

"  Yes,  go  ahead.  I  can  hear  you  whispering  some- 
thing," shouted  the  supercargo,  "  and  I  can  hear  that 
beastly  reef  making  a  deuce  of  a  row  as  well." 

"  Well,  let  us  drift  in  as  we  are,  until  we  get  close 
enough  to  the  surf.  Then  we'll  get  the  mast  and  sail 
aboard,  stow  everything  as  well  as  we  can,  and  stand  by 
for  a  chance  to  get  over  the  reef  in  front  of  a  big  sea.  I 
and  Pat  will  come  aft  and  steer,  and  you  and  Pohiri 
must  pull  your  best — it  is  our  only  chance." 

One  by  one  the  stars  came  out,  and  the  violence  of  the 
squall  rapidly  decreased.  Again  the  extinguished 
torches  of  the  savages  who  were  fishing  on  the  reef  were 
lit  and  began  to  move  about,  and  Denison  and  Pohiri  set 
to  work,  and  secured  every  article  of  value  not  wanted  in 
connection  with  the  proposed  attempt  to  get  over  the 
dreaded  reef.  The  guns  were  rolled  up  in  Castles'  oilskin 
coat,  parcelled  quickly  but  strongly  around  with  native 
cinnet  cord,  and  lashed  under  the  thwarts,  so  that  if 
the  boat  was  capsized,  they  at  least  would  not  be  lost, 
unless  the  craft  went  to  pieces.  The  European  provi- 
sions— tinned  meats,  a  50-lb.  tin  of  biscuits,  and  a 
2-cwt.  tierce  of  twist  tobacco,  intended  as  a  present  for 
the  chief  of  Lak,  were  dropped  overboard,  and  the  boat 
lightened  as  much  as  possible.  One  small  water-tight 
chest  containing  a  few  pounds  of  tobacco,  matches, 
fishing  tackle,  and  ammunition  for  the  two  rifles  and 
two  shot  guns,  was  placed  in  the  after  locker,  which  itself 

14 


2IO  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

was  water-tight,  as  Tom  knew  by  his  former  experience 
when  he  was  bloAvn  out  to  sea  from  Sydney  Harbour. 

Nearer  and  nearer  the  gallant  little  craft,  straining 
at  her  sea-anchor,  stern-on,  approached  the  howl  and 
roar  of  the  boiling  surf,  which  was  now  plainly  visible 
under  the  starlight.  The  black  ledge  of  the  reef  itself — 
much  to  the  satisfaction  of  Castles — could  not  be  dis- 
cerned, which  showed  that  the  tide  was  not  very  low, 
and  that  the  boat,  if  "  rushed  "  in,  in  front  of  a  sea  at  the 
proper  moment,  would,  if  she  did  not  broach-to,  get 
over  without  striking  or  being  capsized. 

When  within  a  few  cable  lengths  of  the  backwash  of 
the  breakers,  the  boat  was  hauled  up  to  her  sea-anchor, 
the  mast  and  sail  taken  inboard,  and  lashed  fore  and  aft 
amidships,  across  the  four  thwarts. 

"  Steady  now,  sir,  steady,"  cried  Castles  to  Tom  and 
Pohiri,  as  they  wore  the  boat  round,  "  pull  easy,  very 
easy  until  1  give  you  the  word,"  and  then  under  the 
excitement  of  the  moment  he  became  "  Jack  Castles,  the 
Recruiter,"  and  did  not  mince  his  words. 

"  Pull  steady  when  I  tell  you.  D'ye  understand  ? 
and  don't  turn  your  heads  to  see  what  is  ahead  of  us — 
if  you  do,  I'll  smash  you  with  the  tiller.  I'll  do  all  the 
looking  out  ahead  ;  but  you  two  must  watch  astern  and 
tell  me  when  you  think  there  is  a  bit  of  a  lull." 

They  were  now  so  close  to  the  wild  boil  of  surf  that 
Castles  caught  a  glimpse  of  several  jagged  coral  teeth, 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  2 1 1 

which  were  bared  for  a  few  seconds  by  the  back-wash. 

"  Mr.  Denison,"  he  cried,  "  if  we  should  touch  on  the 
edge,  you  and  Pohiri  jump  out  and  hold  on  to  the  bows 
like  grim  death,  or  we'll  be  sucked  over  by  the  back-wash 
— I  and  Pat  will  jump  over  astern  to  lighten  her,  and — " 

"  Now's  our  chance  !  "  shouted  Tom,  who  although 
listening  to  Castles  was  intently  watching  the  seas  astern, 
and  then  he  and  Pohiri  put  forth  all  their  strength,  as 
a  long,  heaving  sea  came  sweeping  after  the  boat.  As 
her  stern  rose  to  it,  and  her  bows  went  down,  she  sped 
forward  like  an  arrow,  and  then  with  a  wild  yell  of  excite- 
ment and  triumph  from  Pat,  was  lifted  high  on  the  crest 
of  the  wave,  as  it  burst  with  a  thundering  roar,  and  the 
boat  shot  forward  like  an  arrow  as  it  broke,  and  swept 
her,  in  the  midst  of  seething  foam,  a  hundred  fathoms 
shore  wards. 

"  Did  it  like  a  bird,"  panted  Castles,  as  the  boat 
gradually  lost  her  way,  and  then  touched  sandy  bottom 
in  smooth  water. 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

Scarcely  had  the  boat  grounded,  when  rain  began  to 
fall — a  heavy  do^^■npou^,  ^vhich  drowned  even  the  roar 
and  clamour  of  the  ever-restless  surf,  but  it  was  very  wel- 
come to  Denison  and  his  companions,  for  it  ensured  their 
safety  from  observation. 

"  I  think  we  all  deserve  a  drink,"  bawled  Denison  to 
Castles,  as  he  opened  one  of  the  stern  lockers,  and  pulled 
out  a  demijohn  of  rum  and  a  tin  pannikin. 

"  Aye,  sir,  it  will  do  us  good,  but  we  must  be  quick  and 
get  the  boat  into  deeper  water,  as  the  tide  is  falling  fast, 
and  it  won't  do  for  us  to  be  stranded  for  six  hours.  I 
think  we  had  best  all  get  out,  and  feel  our  way  along — 
as  soon  as  we  have  struck  a  light  and  had  a  look  at  the 
compass.  Pat  says  that  there  are  channels  between 
the  reef  and  the  mainland,  but  they  are  very  tortuous 
and  blocked  in  places  by  those  cursed  fish  weirs.  But 
close  in  to  the  land  the  water  is  deep,  and  clear  of  rocks  or 
weirs,  and  we  can  pull  along  the  shore  as  hard  as  we  like 
without  fear  of  hitting  anything." 

After  serving  out  the  rum,  Denison  lit  the  boat  lantern, 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  213 

covered  it  over  with  the  sail,  and  placed  the  compass 
beside  it.  Then  he  cut  up  enough  tobacco  for  all  four 
men,  filled  and  lighted  pipes  for  his  three  companions  in 
turn,  passed  them  out,  and  then  they  all  had  a  short 
smoke  in  the  pouring  rain  with  the  bowls  of  their  pipes 
turned  upside  down. 

Castles,  daring  as  he  was,  was  yet  always  cautious, 
and  before  they  started  to  wade  with  the  boat  through 
the  darkness  and  blinding  rain,  he  loaded  the  rifles  and 
guns,  and  placed  them  on  the  thwarts,  where  they  could 
be  seized  in  a  moment. 

"  We  might  run  up  against  a  fish  weir  with  some  of 
Varogi's  people  dragging  it — now  that  the  sky  is  clear — 
and  the  tide  is  low,"  he  said,  "  and  I,  like  Pat,  don't  want 
to  have  my  head  put  into  one  of  Varogi's  gamal  houses, 
and  my  bones  gnawed  by  cannibals." 

For  two  hours  they  Avaded  with,  or  pulled  the  boat 
through  narrow  channels,  jumping  in  when  the  water 
deepened,  and  getting  out  when  it  shallowed  ;  their 
course  lightened  at  intervals  when  the  rain  ceased  and 
the  stars  shone  out,  but  always  keenly  on  the  alert. 
Once  only  did  they  see  the  blaze  of  torches  on  a  fish 
weir  on  the  starboard  hand,  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
distant,  and  heard  the  shouts  of  the  fishermen  as  they, 
beating  the  water  with  canoe  paddles,  drove  their  prey 
into  the  long,  narrow  and  curved  cul-de-sac  at  the  sea  end 
of  the  weir. 


2 14  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  You  have  never  killed  a  man  yet,  Mr.  Denison," 
said  Castles,  as  the  boat  was  brought  to  at  the  foot  of  a 
high,  densely-wooded  bluff,  where  they  rested  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  again  filled  their  pipes,  "  and  I  hope  you 
won't  have  to  make  a  beginning  here  ;  but,  to  tell  you 
the  exact  truth,  I  think  we  may  find  ourselves  in  a  tight 
place  when  daylight  comes.  I  don't  see  how  we  can 
possibly  get  clear  of  this  part  of  the  coast  before  sunrise, 
and  get  to  the  country  bossed  by  the  old  chief  of  Lak. 
It  must  be  quite  seven  miles  to  the  boundary  and  we 
can't  feel  our  way  along  much  further — the  tide  will  be 
dead  low  in  a  couple  of  hours.  We  must  try  and  find  a 
hiding  place  before  dawn — somewhere  where  we  can  hide 
the  boat  and  lie  low  ourselves  until  it  is  dark  again." 
Then  he  spoke  to  Pat — asking  him  a  question,  and  the 
native  made  him  an  answer  that  was  evidently  satis- 
factory, for  they  conversed  rapidly  for  some  minutes, 
and  Denison  several  times  heard  the  native  use  the  word 
baran-o  (alligators),  and  wondered  what  alligators  had 
to  do  with  the  situation.     Then  Castles  explained. 

*'  I  asked  him  if  there  was  any  place  along  the  shore 
where  the  tree  branches  overhung  the  water,  so  that  we 
could  get  the  boat  under  them.  He  says  no,  but  that  a 
mile  or  so  away  there  is  a  creek  running  out  through  a 
belt  of  mangroves.  There  is  a  bar  of  rocks  at  the  mouth, 
but  even  at  dead-low  tide  there  is  enough  water  on  it  to 
float  the  boat.     Once  over  the  bar,  he  says,  we  shall  be 


The  Adventures  of  aSupercar  go  215 

as  right  as  rain,  for  the  creek  takes  a  sharp  turn  to  the 
left,  and  the  belt  of  mangroves  outside  quite  hides  it 
from  the  sea.  But  he  doesn't  like  the  idea  of  our  going 
there,  and  says  that  even  Varogi's  people  always  keep 
clear  of  it,  as  it  is  full  of  alligators,  and  that  the  mosqui- 
toes will  eat  us  alive." 

"  Better  to  chance  the  laran-o  and  the  mosquitoes 
than  run  the  risk  of  being  cut  off  by  some  of  Varogi's 
amiable  gentry." 

"  Just  so.  Let  us  push  on,  and  get  there  as  soon  as 
we  can." 

Once  more  they  set  out  on  their  tedious  course,  wind- 
ing their  way  through  shallow,  narrow  channels,  bumping 
up  against  coral  "  mushrooms,"  dragging  the  boat  over 
the  hated  fish  weirs,  and  then  suddenly  dropping  into 
deep  water,  and  clambering  on  board  again,  only  to  find 
a  few  minutes  later  their  progress  barred  by  a  sand-bank 
or  bed  of  rotten  coral  left  bare  by  the  tide.  At  last, 
however,  the  rain  ceased,  and  the  whole  sky  was  lit  up 
by  the  stars,  and  they  were  able  to  make  much  more 
rapid  progress ;  and  all  uttered  an  exclamation  of 
satisfaction  when  the  low,  dark  line  of  mangroves  came 
in  sight. 

"  We  must  not  get  out  of  the  boat  again  now,  if  we  can 
help  it,"  said  Castles.  "  Pat  says  that  all  about  here  the 
place  swarms  with  alligators — short,  ugly  black  devils 
like  those  on  Santa  Anna  in  the  Solomons.     If  it  were 


2 1 6  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

daytime  we  could  see  them  lying  around  on  the  mud- 
banks,  or  swimming  about  in  the  channels." 

Clambering  into  the  boat,  they  felt  their  way  along, 
"  poling  "  her  with  the  o'lrs,  striking  every  now  and  then 
upon  a  sand  or  mud-bank,  and  having  to  push  off  again. 

At  last,  however,  after  nearly  three  hours'  exhausting 
toil  they  succeeded  in  crossing  over  the  bar  of  rocks, 
entering  the  creek,  and  mooring  the  boat  to  a  tree  trunk, 
which  stood  up  in  the  black,  evil-smelling  water. 


CHAPTER   XXX 

The  long  night  wore  out  at  last,  and  at  dawn  the  four 
voyagers  stood  up  and  stretched  their  weary,  aching 
limbs.  In  addition  to  the  discomfort  of  the  cramped 
positions  they  had  had  to  assume,  all  of  them  had 
suffered  tortures  from  the  myriads  of  mosquitoes  which 
had  assailed  them  throughout  the  night,  and  which 
showed  no  disposition  to  abate  their  venomous  fury 
with  the  coming  of  daylight. 

"  We  can't  stand  any  more  of  this,  Castles,"  said  the 
leader,  as  he  felt  his  swollen  face,  and  then  looked  at  his 
hands,  which  had  lost  their  deep  tan,  and  were  now  more 
of  a  purple  hue  ;    "  we'll  be  blind  in  another  hour." 

Unmooring  the  boat,  they  went  up-stream,  poling 

with  the  oars,  for  the  creek  was  very  narrow.     After 

proceeding   half  a   mile,   and   seeing   nothing   but   the 

hideous,    mud-covered    forms    of    scores    of    alligators 

lying  on  the  banks,  they  came  to  a  bar  of  rocks — or 

rather  a  cataract — above  which  the  water  was  fresh  and 

clear,  the  tide  ascending  only  as  far  as  the  bar.     Here 

the  air  was  much  cooler,  and  the  mosquitoes  not  at  all 

317 


2 1 8  Th  e  Advert  lures  of  a  Sup  ercarg  o 

troublesome,  so  the  boat  was  brought  in  to  the  bank, 
and  they  stepped  out,  wet,  hungry,  and  tired,  and, 
before  even  thinking  of  breakfast,  laved  their  swollen 
faces  in  the  sweet,  cool  water  as  it  rippled  over  its  gravelly 
bed  to  lose  its  purity  in  the  foul,  mangrove-banked, 
alligator-haunted  pool  below. 

Although  not  daring  to  light  a  fire  to  make  coffee, 
they  yet  made  an  excellent  breakfast  of  tinned  beef  and 
biscuit,  with  rum  and  water  instead  of  tea  or  coffee. 
Castles  urging  his  companions  not  to  drink  the  water 
alone,  pure  as  it  looked. 

"  When  I  was  in  the  labour  trade  in  the  Solomon 
Islands  our  skipper  would  not  let  us  drink  the  river 
water,"  he  observed ;  "  you  stand  every  chance  of 
getting  a  dose  of  fever — that  is  why  the  natives  seldom 
drink  anj'thing  but  rain  water  caught  in  old  canoes  and 
coconuts.  I  daresay  if  we  have  a  look  about,  we'll 
find  a  coconut  grove  somewhere — once  we  get  out  of 
this  thick  jungle  of  heavy  timber." 

The  next  few  hours  were  spent  in  taking  everything 
out  of  the  boat  and  drying  whatever  had  been  wetted, 
the  arms  examined,  and  the  shortened  mast  deftly 
repaired  by  Pat  stepping  the  broken  end  into  a  thick 
piece  of  green  bamboo,  cut  from  a  clump  he  had  dis- 
covered growing  a  little  further  up-stream. 

Then,  although  Pat  assured  Denison  and  Castles  that 
there    were    no    natives    anywhere    in    the    immediate 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  219 

vicinity — except  on  the  shore — and  that  the  boat  was 
quite  safe  where  she  was,  they  decided  to  take  her  back 
among  the  mangroves  and  leave  her  there,  till  nearly 
dark.  The  country  on  the  left  bank,  so  Pat  said,  con- 
sisted— away  from  the  creek — of  fairly  open  forest 
country,  with  here  and  there  small  groves  of  coconuts 
and  areca  palms.  There,  he  said,  they  could  rest  for 
the  day,  or  climbing  up  the  side  of  the  range,  could  get 
a  view  of  the  coast,  east  and  west,  for  many  miles,  and 
see  if  any  of  Varogi's  canoes  were  about,  fishing  within 
the  reef. 

His  suggestion  was  quickly  adopted — the  boat  taken 
back,  and  moored  to  the  bank  in  deep  water,  and  then, 
with  Pat  as  guide,  they  started  off  inland.  Denison  and 
Castles  had  their  rifles,  Pohiri  a  shot  gun,  and  a  toma- 
hawk, and  Pat  his  own  weapons. 

The  morning,  although  extremely  hot,  was  beautifully 
bright,  and  the  sun  shone  from  a  sky  of  matchless  blue 
as  they  emerged  from  the  dark  jungle  shades  into  more 
open  country,  and  felt  a  cool  breeze  upon  their  heated 
faces.  The  ascent  of  the  mountain  was,  although  some- 
what steep,  not  difficult,  for,  crossing  a  space  of  open 
grassy  country,  covered  with  clumps  of  wild  banana  trees, 
Pat,  after  a  little  searching,  found  a  disused  path,  which 
wound  up  the  mountain  side.  It  was  in  many  places 
overgrown  with  vines  and  creepers,  and  had  evidently 
not  been  trodden  upon  by  human  feet  for  many  years. 


2 20  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  There  was  once,"  he  said,  "  a  village  up  there  on 
the  top  of  the  mountain.  Varogi  built  it  for  a  strong- 
hold, and  when  I  was  but  a  lad,  Norok  and  two  hundred 
of  our  people  surprised  it  in  the  night  and  killed  all  in  it. 
He  marched  only  at  night  time,  and  was  three  days 
passing  through  the  forest  and  fell  upon  the  village  just 
before  dawn,  when  all  the  people  were  asleep.  Only 
very  few  escaped  ;  and,  after  that,  Varogi  would  let 
no  one  live  there  again,  although  Norok  did  not  burn 
all  the  houses.  Shall  we  go  and  look  at  it  ?  "  Then  he 
added  that  in  some  of  the  deserted  plantations  they 
would  be  sure  to  find  plenty  of  ripe  bananas  and  pine- 
apples which  they  could  take  to  the  boat. 

This  was  an  inducement,  as  they  were  now  short  of 
provisions,  and  did  not  know  how  long  they  might  be  in 
getting  to  friendly  Lak,  so  they  told  Pat  to  "  go  ahead." 

An  hour's  climb  brought  them,  to  the  deserted  village, 
which  was  built  on  the  flattened  summit  of  one  of  the 
mountain  spurs,  and  was  almost  hidden  from  view  by  a 
number  of  huge  banyan  trees.  Many  of  the  houses  had 
been  burnt,  but  there  were  still  half  a  dozen  standing, 
surrounded  by  the  usual  lines  of  many-hued  crotons. 
The  place  was  very  silent,  save  for  the  rustling  leaves 
overhead,  and  seemed  utterly  devoid  of  bird  or  animal 
life.  Far  below  were  the  green  waters  between  the  shore 
and  the  white  waving  line  of  surf  upon  the  barrier  reef  ; 
beyond,  the  deep  blue  of  the  ocean  ;  and  Pat  pointed  out 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  221 

quite  a  fleet  of  canoes  scattered  about,  either  fishing,  or 
proceeding  on  voyages  along  the  coast,  which,  he  said, 
were  all  manned  by  Varogi's  people.  I.ak,  owing  to 
the  configuration  of  the  land,  could  not  be  seen  from 
where  they  stood. 

Presently  Pohiri  discerned,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away, 
a  grove  of  mountain  banana  trees,  and  went  off  to  get 
a  bunch  of  the  fruit,  Pat  remaining  with  the  white  men, 
engaged  in  fashioning  a  wooden  spade  to  dig  some  yams 
to  take  to  the  boat.  The  three  had  clambered  to  the 
top  of  a  square  platform  of  stone  about  ten  feet  in  height, 
and  which  was  directly  under  the  wide-spreading 
branches  of  a  great  banyan  tree.  It  was  nearly  twenty 
feet  square,  and  on  it  had  once  stood,  so  Pat  said,  the 
chief's  "  rest-house,"  which  had  been  burnt  by  Norok 
when  he  surprised  the  village,  A  thick  layer  of  leaves 
had  fallen  upon  it  in  the  course  of  years,  and  whilst 
Denison  and  Castles  stretched  themselves  out  upon  it 
to  await  Pohiri's  return,  their  savage  companion  squat- 
ted beside  them  and  shaped  his  paddle.  Yielding  to 
fatigue,  and  to  the  delightfully  cool  breeze,  the  two  white 
men  were  soon  asleep,  and  their  example  was  so  contagi- 
ous that  Pat,  after  his  rude  spade  was  finished,  lay  down 
near  them. 

An  hour  had  passed ;  Pohiri  had  not  returned,  and 
the  three  still  slumbered.  Then  came  the  murmur  of 
distant  voices,  and  Pat  awoke  with  a  start  and  listened 


222  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

intently,  then,  turning  on  his  stomach,  crawled  to  the 
edge  of  the  platform  and  peered  down  toward  the  valley. 
In  an  instant  he  crept  over  to  Castles  and  Denison,  and 
aroused  them  in  hurried  whispers. 

"  Lie  still,  keep  quiet  !  There  are  many  people  com- 
ing up  the  hill  from  the  valley.  I  can  hear  their  voices 
— and  they  are  Varogi's  men  !  " 


CHAPTER   XXXI 

"  Where  is  Pohiri  ?  "  whispered  Castles  to  Pat,  as  they 
lay  flat  upon  the  soft  leaves. 

"  I  know  not.  He  should  have  been  here  long  since," 
replied  the  native,  "  see,  the  sun  is  towards  the  west." 

Denison  looked  at  his  watch.  "  We  have  been  asleep 
for  an  hour  and  a  quarter  ;  Pohiri  ought  to  have  been 
back  half  an  hour  ago.  I  hope  the  poor  fellow  has  not 
been  killed." 

"  I  think  he  is  all  right,"  said  Castles,  "  I  daresay  he 

saw  or  heard  these  people  coming,  and  has  hidden." 

Then  he  questioned  Pat,  who  replied  that  he  was  sure 

their  shipmate  was  in  hiding  somewhere.     "  If  these 

people  who  are  coming  had  seen  him,  I  should  have 

heard  their  shouts ;    but  they  are  coming  up  the  path 

talking  very  quietly.     Listen — some  of  them  are  singing. 

We  shall  see  them  very  soon.     Look,  look !     Here  they 

come  !     It  is  a  war  party,  with  Timi  the  white  man 

leading." 

The  half-caste  and  Denison  put  their  hands  on  their 
333 


224  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

rifles,  but  Pat  in  a  fierce  whisper  told  them  to  keep  quiet. 

"  They  do  not  seek  us,"  he  said  emphatically,  "  for 
they  know  not  we  are  here.  See,  some  of  them  carry 
baskets  of  food.  They  have  come  here  to  eat  and  rest 
a  while  on  their  way  to  Varogi's  town.  Let  us  wait 
as  we  are — they  will  not  stay  long.  We  are  safe  ;  for 
they  have  no  dogs  with  them — else  we  should  he  quickly 
smelled  out,  and  our  heads  taken." 

Marching  up  the  steep  path  in  double  file,  and  led  by 
the  "  white  man  "  Timij  at  whom  Denison  and  Castles 
looked  with  horror  and  disgust — and  Pat  with  envy — 
came  two  hundred  savages,  all  fully  armed.  Some  of 
them  carried  baskets  of  cooked  food,  such  as  baked  pork, 
pigeons,  fish  and  yams  and  taro.  They  halted  at  the 
bidding  of  their  leader,  who,  taking  a  seat  upon  the  fallen 
post  of  a  house,  proceeded  to  cut  up  some  tobacco,  and 
fill  his  pipe,  whilst  his  followers,  laying  down  their  arms, 
proceeded  to  open  the  baskets  of  food,  and  spread  the 
contents  upon  the  ground. 

The  "  white  man,"  who  was  attended  by  two  young 
men,  who  waited  upon  him  in  a  most  servile  manner, 
sat  directly  facing  Denison  and  his  companions,  and  was 
not  more  than  twenty  yards  distant  from  the  platform — 
so  close  that  Denison  and  his  watching  companions  could 
hear  every  word  he  uttered  in  his  deep,  growling  tones, 
and  as  he  turned  his  face  to  speak  to  one  of  his  savage 
attendants,    Denison,    as    his   hand    gripped    his   rifle, 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  225 

muttered,  "  that  is  the  man,  Castles  !  That  is  the  man 
who  murdered  my  father — he  is  Tim  Hogan  !  " 

"  Steady,  sir,  steady,  for  God's  sake,  and  keep  quiet," 
muttered  the  half-caste,  as  he  gripped  Tom's  rifle  by 
the  barrel,  and  near  the  muzzle,  "  if  you  shoot  him  now 
we  shall  all  be  wiped  out.    Listen,  he  is  going  to  speak." 

The  renegade  had  taken  his  pipe  from  his  lips,  and 
stretched  out  his  bare  right  arm. 

"  Eat,  my  children,  my  head-seekers.  The  way  is 
long,  Varogi  awaits  us,  and  we  must  not  delay  here. 
After  ye  have  eaten,  I  will  speak.  But  first  bring  to  me  he 
who  has  whispered  that  the  mana  (i)  of  Timi  hath 
weakened  because  I  was  wounded  when  I  tried  to  take 
the  little  ship." 

"  He  means  when  he  tried  to  cut  off  Captain  Ross's 
cutter,"  whispered  Castles. 

Two  natives  sprang  to  their  feet,  and  placed  their 
hands  on  the  shoulder  of  an  elderly  man,  who  was 
seated  on  the  ground  opening  a  basket  of  food.  He 
rose  quietly,  and  came  with  them,  and  stood  before  the 
dreaded  Timi,  who  eyed  him  with  a  cold,  but  savage 
ferocity. 

"  He  is  Ga — one  of  Timi's  fathers-in-law,"  whispered 
Pat  to  Castles. 

The  old  man,  who  was  fully  accoutred  as  a  warrior, 

(i)  Mana  has  many  meanings  ;  in  this  case  it  meant 
prestige. 

IS 


226  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

stood  calmly  before  his  son-in-law.  He  knew  what  was 
coming. 

"  Ga,  my  father,  you  have  spoken  foolishly  of  me,  and 
I  have  let  thee  live  many  moons  because  of  the  women- 
folk who  will  miss  thee.  But  they  shall  be  told  that 
thou  wast  killed  in  battle.  For  this  alone  have  I  let 
thee  come  so  far  with  me."  Then,  motioning  to  the 
doomed  man  to  come  nearer,  he  took  up  a  musket, 
which  was  handed  to  him  by  one  of  his  attendants,  and, 
without  rising  from  his  seat,  shot  the  old  man  through 
the  heart. 

"  Take  him  away  quickly,  and  give  me  to  eat,"  he 
cried  savagely  to  his  followers  ;  "  we  have  no  time  to 
lose.  Is  there  any  other  man  who  thinketh  that  the 
mana  of  Timi  hath  decayed  ?  If  so,  let  him  come  before 
me,  and  we  shall  try  it  out  by  spear  or  club.  I  am  old  ; 
but  my  mana  is  strong." 

No  one  dared  answer  the  tyrant,  who  after  a  scowling 
glance  at  his  followers,  tossed  aside  the  musket,  and 
drawing  a  basket  of  food  to  him,  began  to  eat,  and  as 
Tom  watched  him,  he  wondered  how  any  white  man 
could  sink  so  low,  and  present  such  a  terrifying  and 
degrading  appearance. 

With  the  exception  of  a  thick  girdle  of  coloured  grasses 
which  descended  from  his  waist  to  his  knees,  the  man  was 
as  naked  as  his  savage  companions,  and  his  hair,  which 
was  long,  was  twisted  into  innumerable  little  ringlets, 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  227 

greased  and  powdered  over  with  sandal-wood  dust  in 
the  style  of  the  natives  of  New  Britain  ;  they  fell  around 
his  face  and  down  upon  his  shoulders  like  a  mat  of  twisted 
tow ;  his  brawny  arms,  which  like  the  rest  of  his  body 
were  tanned  by  the  sun  to  the  hue  of  old  leather,  were 
adorned  with  the  usual  heavy  armlets  of  white  shell,  and 
his  repellent  appearance  generally  was  accentuated  by 
the  scarlet  lips  and  blackened  teeth  of  the  habitual 
betelnut  chewer.  Slung  across  his  shoulders  by  a  broad 
leather  strap  was  a  short  carbine,  and  in  a  belt  around 
his  waist,  were  two  ivory-handled  Colt's  revolvers — 
taken  by  him  from  the  murdered  captain  of  the  sandal- 
wooding  brig  which  he  and  Varogi  had  cut  off  five  years 
before. 

Presently  he  motioned  to  one  of  his  attendants  to 
give  him  a  young  coconut  to  drink.  He  drank,  and  then 
as  he  threw  away  the  empty  shell,  said  something  that 
brought  forth  a  chorus  of  laughter  from  his  followers — 
all  anxious  to  please  the  great  man. 

"  What  did  he  say  ?  "  asked  Castles  of  Pat. 

"  He  says  that  ere  many  days  have  passed  he  and 
those  with  him  will  be  drinking  rom  (i)  instead  of  coco- 
nuts or  water." 

His  meal  finished,  Timi  smoked  his  pipe  for  a  few 
minutes,  then  placed  it  in  his  girdle  of  grass  and  began  to 
speak,  his  followers  crouching  around  him  and  listening 

(i)  Rum. 


2  28  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

with  eager,  savage  interest,  and  Pat  and  Castles  caught 
every  word  that  was  uttered,  though  the  latter  did  not 

understand  all  of  the  speech,  which  occupied  only  a  few 
minutes. 

As  he  concluded,  the  savages  uttered  a  loud  peculiar 
cry — a  quivering,  yet  hoarse  Ah-h-h-h-e  !  and  then 
each  man  sprang  to  his  feet,  seized  his  weapons,  and  with 
the  white  man  leading,  marched  swiftly  away  in  the 
direction  of  Varogi's  town. 

Then  Pat,  his  eyes  rolling  with  excitement,  quickly 
explained  to  Castles  in  detail  all  that  had  been  said,  and 
he  translated  to  Tom. 

"  By  heavens,  Mr.  Denison  !  it  is  lucky  we  came  here  ! 
Varogi  and  Timi  have  planned  to  cut  off  the  ship,  and 
murder  every  one  on  board,  except  Mrs.  Ross,  who  Timi 
means  to  keep  for  a  wife  !  " 


CHAPTER   XXXII 

"  It  seems,  sir,"  said  the  half-caste,  "  that  since  the 

barque  anchored,  Varogi  and  the  white  man  have  been 

sending  messengers  to  each  other,  and  a  week  ago  Timi 

told  his  people  to  get  their  arms  and  canoes  in  readiness, 

as  he  had  great  work  in  hand.     He  would  not  tell  them 

what  it  was,  but  yesterday  he  picked  out  two  hundred  of 

his  best  men,  and  told  them  that  they  were  to  come  with 

him  overland  to  Varogi's  town,  and  that  on  the  way  there 

he  would  explain  to  them  what  was  the  work  in  store 

for  them.     The  reason  he  would  not  do  so  before  was 

that  there  are  some  slave  women  in  the  village,  who 

belong  to  Norok's  town,  and  he  was  afraid  that  any  one 

of  them,  if  she  heard  what  was  afoot,  would  make  her 

escape  into  the  bush,  and  give  Norok  warning — hullo, 

what  is  that  ?  "  and  he  broke  off  abruptly,  "  I  hear 

some  one  coming.     Down  flat,  sir." 

All  three  threw  themselves  upon  the  bed  of  leaves, 

and  listened,  and  then  to  their  great  joy  they  heard  a 

low  whistle.     It  was  Pohiri,  who  was  searching  for  them. 

He  had,  he  told  them,  seen  the  war  party  approaching, 

329 


230  The  Adventures  of  a  Su-percargo 

and  hidden  himself  until  they  had  passed.  Carefully 
following,  he  had  watched  Timi  and  his  followers  ascend 
the  path  to  the  abandoned  village,  seen  them  eating, 
and  then  depart, 

"  Here,  Pohiri — wait  a  moment,  Castles — take  a  pull 
at  this,"  and  Tom  handed  the  Niuean  a  bottle  of  mixed 
rum  and  water,  "  you  look  as  if  you  wanted  a  drink. 
Now,  go  on.  Castles." 

"  Well,  sir,  before  Timi  and  his  crowd,  which  were  here 
just  now,  left  their  town,  he  gave  orders  for  another  two 
hundred  men  to  start  to-night  in  canoes  for  Varogi's 
place,  and  join  him  there.  The  reason  for  this  is  that 
although  there  are  plenty  of  canoes  to  carry  four  hundred 
men,  Timi  thought  that,  as  there  are  signs  of  bad  weather, 
he  had  better  take  half  of  his  infernal  cannibals  over- 
land, in  case  the  whole  crowd  had  to  turn  back,  and 
Varogi  be  disappointed.  If  there  is  bad  weather,  the 
canoes  are  not  to  start  until  it  is  fine,  as  they  will  have 
to  go  outside  the  reef  on  account  of  the  tides." 

"  Tell  me,  Castles — how  does  Timi  know  anything 
about  Mrs.  Ross  being  on  board  ?     Ask  Pat." 

Pat  replied  that  he  had  no  doubt  but  that  Timi  knew 
exactly  the  number  of  people  on  board  the  barque,  how 
they  were  armed,  and  much  else  ;  all  this  he  would 
learn  through  some  of  Norok's  slave  women — captives. 
It  was  easy,  he  said,  for  these  women  to  meet  one  of 
Varogi's  spies  outside  the  town  at  night.     A  few  days 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  23 1 

after  Ross  had  begun  his  pearling  operations,  one  of 
these  women  had  escaped,  and  she  would  certainly  have 
given  Timi  and  Varogi  much  information,  especially  as 
to  how  the  barque  was  moored. 

"  We  must  get  back  at  once,  sir,"  said  Castles,  "  even 
if  we  have  to  fight  our  way.  It  is  now  flood  tide,  and 
there  is  a  stiff  breeze.  If  any  of  Timi's,  or  Varogi's 
canoes  try  to  intercept  us,  they  will  have  their  work  cut 
out,  for  our  boat  can  certainly  outsail  them  in  any  kind 
of  a  breeze,  and  if  it  did  fall  a  calm,  and  we  had  to  fight, 
our  long  range  of  rifles  should  pull  us  through,  as  they 
have  nothing  but  smooth-bore  muskets — and  only  a 
few  at  that.  Norok  told  me  that  when  the  sandal- 
wooding  brig  was  cut  off,  Varogi  and  Timi  divided  all 
the  arms  on  board  between  them — forty  muskets,  and 
about  twenty  cutlasses.  But  we  must  remember  that 
these  Admiralty  Islanders  are  about  the  pluckiest  natives 
in  the  Pacific.  Ten  years  ago,  a  fleet  of  a  hundred  canoes 
attacked  a  little  but  well-armed  barque  named  the  Fawn, 
off  the  west  end  of  the  island,  and  although  her  big  guns 
smashed  half-a-dozen  of  them,  the  rest  came  on,  laid 
alongside,  and  their  crews  tried  to  board  again  and  again. 
Thirty  or  so  of  them  did  get  over  the  bulwarks,  and 
fought  like  tigers,  and  although  they  were  only  armed 
with  clubs  and  daggers,  they  killed  seven  of  the  barque's 
hands  before  they  were  wiped  out.  I  heard  that  the 
skipper  killed  nearly  a  dozen  at  one  shot  from  a  whaler's 


232  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

bomb  gun  loaded  with  slugs,  and  only  then  did  they 
draw  off,  after  having  lost  nearly  fifty  men." 

"  Well,  they  will  have  a  tough  job  if  they  tackle  the 
Meg^^  said  Tom,  "  and  although  we  carry  no  big  guns, 
there  are  at  least  four  whaler's  bomb  guns  on  board. 
Captain  Grace  brought  them  from  Liverpool  to  sell, 
but  we  did  not  meet  with  any  whaleships,  and  no  one 
in  Levuka  wanted  them.     Now,  let  us  start." 

Pat,  highly  elated  at  the  prospect  of  a  fight,  again  led 
the  way,  and  an  hour  before  sunset  they  had  reached  the 
boat,  taken  her  over  the  bar,  and  were  spinning  along 
before  a  strong  breeze,  heading  for  the  passage  through 
the  barrier  reef.  They  saw  several  canoes  inside  the 
reef,  engaged  in  fishing,  but  no  attempt  was  made  to 
intercept  them.  But  that  they  were  seen  from  the 
shore  was  soon  made  evident  by  numerous  signal  fires, 
the  smoke  of  which  could  be  seen  arising  from  the  many 
small  villages  along  the  coast. 

Once  outside  the  roaring  line  of  the  barrier  reef  the 
boat  was  kept  away  on  a  direct  course  for  Noan — the 
town  where  Norok  lived.  There  was  such  a  stiff  breeze 
that  Tom  felt  certain  Ross  would  not  be  out  with  his 
divers,  for  there  was  too  much  of  a  swell  on  the  pearling 
beds  for  any  diving  to  be  done. 

As  night  fell,  the  breeze  lost  its  strength,  but  the  boat 
still  made  great  progress,  and  Tom  felt  a  thrill  of  pride 
when  Pohiri  asked  him  to  let  him  steer  the  Sabbie. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  233 

"  Such  a  boat  as  this  was  never  before  built,"  said  the 
Niu^an,  speaking  in  Samoan,  "  she  riseth  to  the  seas  and 
skimmeth  over  them  as  does  a  katafa  (frigate  bird)  when 
he  catches  a  flying-fish  in  flight." 

Then  as  they  sped  on  their  course,  under  the  starlit 
heavens,  Pat  told  them  tales  of  the  deeds — or  rather 
misdeeds — of  his  people,  their  head-huntings,  their 
former  cannibalism,  their  cuttings  off  and  massacring 
of  the  crews  of  sandal-wood  and  whaling  ships  ;  and  then 
Pohiri  spoke  of  his  own  island,  which  was  known  as 
"  Savage  Island,"  because  Tuti  (Captain  Cook)  had 
thrice  been  repulsed  in  his  attempts  to  land  and  make 
friends  with  the  people. 

"  But  my  land,"  he  said,  "  though  not  so  great  as 
thine,  Pat,  is  a  much  better  country,  except  that  in  it 
there  are  no  streams  of  sweet  fresh  water.  But  it  is 
rich,  very  rich  in  food — and  never  have  we  eaten  human 
flesh,"  and  he  bent  over  the  gunwale  and  spat  in  disgust. 

The  wind  had  almost  died  away  when  as  the  boat  came 
near  the  Meg  Merrilies,  they  were  hailed  by  the  anchor 
watch. 

"  Where  are  Captain  Grace,  and  Captain  Ross  ?  " 
asked  Tom,  as  he  stepped  on  deck. 

"  Below,  sir,  playing  euchre  with  Mrs.  Ross  and  the 
mate." 


CHAPTER    XXXIIl 

The  euchre  party  broke  up  very  suddenly  when  Tom  and 
Castles  entered  the  cabin,  and  told  their  story,  and 
Pat  was  at  once  sent  on  shore  to  tell  Norok  the  news,  and 
ask  him  to  come  on  board. 

He  came  quickly,  late  as  it  was,  and  he,  Grace,  and 
Ross  were  soon  in  earnest  consultation  as  to  the  means  to 
be  adopted,  not  only  to  defend  the  ship,  but  to  inflict 
a  crushing  defeat  upon  Varogi  and  his  ally,  Timi. 

Ross,  always  quiet  and  imperturbable,  said  but  little 
until  towards  the  end  of  the  discussion  ;  then  he  turned 
to  Castles,  who  was  present  as  interpreter,  and  asked  him 
when  Norok  thought  the  attack  would  be  made. 

"  In  three  or  four  days,"  replied  the  chief ;  "  but  it 
may  be  longer."  Varogi,  he  explained,  would  be  sure  to 
await  the  arrival  of  Timi's  fleet  of  canoes,  and  he,  Norok, 
was  sure  that  bad  weather  was  coming  on,  that  it  would 
last  for  several  days,  and  that  no  attempt  to  attack  the 
barque  would  be  made  if  there  was  any  wind,  for  the 

a34 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  235 

canoes  could  not  range  alongside  without  getting  into 
confusion.  "  But,"  he  added,  "  it  may  be  that  there  will 
be  no  wind  and  much  rain  some  night,  and  that  is  the 
time  when  we  must  keep  good  watch,  as  the  night  dies 
and  dawn  comes,  for  the  rain  hides  everything,  and 
makes  a  great  noise,  and  the  canoes  could  creep  up  to 
the  ship  without  being  seen  or  heard." 

Ross  nodded.  "  He  is  quite  right  about  the  weather, 
Captain  Grace,  we  are  going  to  have  a  change  pretty  soon, 
of  that  I'm  certain.  Now  Castles,"  and  he  turned  to 
the  half-caste,  "  I  have  a  mighty  high  respect  for  Norok, 
and  want  you  to  tell  him  so  before  I  ask  him  a  rather 
delicate  question." 

Castles  translated,  and  the  chief's  grim  features 
relaxed  into  a  smile  at  Ross's  complimentary  remarks. 
"  What  does  Rossi  (Ross)  desire  to  ask  me  ?  "  he  en- 
quired. 

"  I  want  him  to  tell  me  if  he  will  lend  us  the  six  brass 
cannons  that  were  taken  from  the  American  whaleship, 
which  his  people  cut  off  here  thirty  years  ago,  when  he 
had  his  elbow  smashed  with  a  pistol  bullet.  Tell  him 
that  I  know  he  has  those  guns  stowed  away  somewhere, 
and  if  he  wants  to  see  Varogi  and  his  crowd  wiped  out, 
he  must  lend  them  to  us." 

As  Castles  translated  Ross's  remarks,  the  chief's  eyes 
opened  in  astonishment.  He  wondered  how  Ross  knew 
anything  about  the  brass  guns,  which  for  thirty  years 


236  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

had  lain  in  one  of  the  gamal  houses.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  all  that  Ross  knew  was  that  when  the  whaleship 
was  cut  off  and  her  crew  massacred  by  Norok's  people, 
her  guns  were  taken  on  shore. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  I  have  the  guns,  but  only  four.  The 
two  others  sank  with  the  ship  when  we  burned  her ; 
we  had  not  time  to  take  them  away.  But  the  four  you 
shall  have.  They  are  buried  under  one  of  my  gamal 
houses,  and  shall  be  dug  up  in  the  morning.  But  I 
have  no  powder  for  them,  and  only  ten  cannon 
balls  were  brought  on  shore  ;  those  are  in  my  own 
house." 

"  Tell  him  that  I  don't  think  I  shall  want  the  cannon 
balls,"  said  Ross  to  Castles,  "  but  he  must  get  his  men  to 
carry  the  guns  over  to  the  point  at  the  east  side  of  the 
bay.  Then  I'll  have  them  cleaned  and  mounted  in 
some  sort  of  fashion.  Varogi's  canoes  will  have  to  come 
in  so  close  to  the  point  to  get  into  the  bay  that  they  will 
be  within  thirty  yards  of  the  muzzles  of  the  guns.  But 
I  mean  to  let  them  pass  in  and  tackle  the  ship  first,  then 
when  Captain  Grace  has  given  them  a  doing  with  the 
four  bomb  guns  and  his  crew's  breechloaders,  I'll  be 
ready  for  them  when  they  try  to  get  out  of  the  trap  I  am 
setting  for  them." 

Castles  explained  this  to  Norok,  whose  eyes  gleamed 
with  the  anticipative  lust  of  slaughter,  and  then  as  he 
rose  to  return  on  shore,  he  asked  Sina  Ross,  who  was 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  237 

seated  at  the  after  end  of  the  cabin,  listening  to  the  dis- 
cussion, if  she  would  not  leave  the  ship  in  the  morning 
and  stay  in  his  house,  where  she  would  be  away  from  the 
fighting.  She  thanked  him  and  replied  with  a  smile 
that  she  was  not  afraid,  and  would  stay  with  her  husband, 
either  on  board  the  ship,  or  at  the  place  where  the  guns 
were  to  be  mounted. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  chief  admiringly,  "  I  forgot.  Thou 
canst  use  a  gun  and  shoot  straight  like  him."  Both 
Ross  and  his  young  wife  were  excellent  shots. 

After  breakfast  on  the  following  morning,  Ross,  Grace, 
Denison,  and  the  barque's  carpenter,  went  on  shore  to 
look  at  the  guns,  which  Norok  had  had  dug  up  in  readi- 
ness for  their  removal  to  the  point  commanding  the 
entrance  to  the  little  bay.  Their  long  burial  had  done 
them  no  harm,  and  Ross  smiled  grimly  when  the  carpen- 
ter said  he  would  mount  all  four  on  rough  carriages  by 
sunset  if  he  had  some  assistance  (the  former  carriages 
had  long  since  gone  to  decay). 

Whilst  the  carpenter  returned  on  board  for  his  tool- 
chest,  and  some  heavy  pieces  of  timber,  Norok's  natives, 
under  Ross's  supervision,  lifted  the  guns  and  put 
them  in  a  position  for  cleaning,  this  work  being 
undertaken  by  Castles,  Pohiri,  and  two  white 
seamen. 

"  Now,"  said  Ross  in  his  slow,  drawling  tones  to  Grace 
and  Tom,  "  come  with  me  and  I'll  show  you  where  the 


238  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

guns  are  to  be  mounted.  Ha  !  '  Lo,  the  poor  Injun,' 
is  coming  too,  I  see.  Well,  I  guess  I  can  instruct  his 
untutored  mind  some  on  the  subject  of  how  to  get  even 
with  Varogi." 

He  pointed  to  Norok,  who  was  coming  towards  them 
followed  by  several  of  his  young  men,  who  were  carrying 
the  ten  round  shot  taken  with  the  guns  from  the  un- 
fortunate whaleship. 

"  Tell  him,  Castles,"  he  said  to  the  half-caste,  "  that, 
after  all,  they  (the  shot)  may  come  in  handy,  so  they 
can  carry  them  over  to  the  point  with  us.  But  if  Norok 
will  come  on  board  with  us  presently,  I  will  initiate 
him  into  the  art  of  making  case  shot  from  broken  bolts, 
nuts,  and  washers." 

Norok  was  deeply  interested,  and  informed  Ross  that 
he  had  seen  both  case  and  chain  shot  when  he  was  a  lad — 
shown  to  him  by  the  captain  of  a  Singapore  sandal- 
wooding  ship.  Then  he  gave  the  white  men  an  im- 
portant piece  of  information.  Immediately  on  his 
returning  on  shore  the  previous  evening  he  had  had  all 
his  women-slaves  who  were  in  any  way  suspected  of 
being  friendly  to  Varogi,  seized  and  placed  in  strict  con- 
finement. He  had  done  this  on  his  own  initiative, 
knowing  that  they  would  certainly  see  (or  hear  about) 
the  guns  being  dug  up,  and  would  perhaps  communicate 
with  Varogi.  "  I  thought  at  first,"  he  remarked, 
"  that   it   would   be   best   to   kill  them  all ;    but  knew 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  239 

that  you  white  men  do  not  like  women  being  killed." 
Ross   slapped   him   on    his    shoulder.     "  You    are    a 
genius,  Norok.     I  never  thought  about  the  slave-women. 
Can  you  make  this  clear  to  him,  Castles  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XXXIV 

By  noon  of  the  next  day  the  four  guns  were  in  position. 

They  were  placed  on  their  carriages  at  the  extreme  end 

of  the  point,  and  commanded  the  passage,  which  was  so 

narrow  that  the  barque  had  been  kedged  through  it  to 

her  moorings  inside  the  bay.     On  the  opposite  side  to 

the  point — which  was  covered  with  a  low,  dense  scrub 

— was  a  wall  of  solid  reef,  the  top  of  which,  even  at  high 

tide,  was  four  or  five  feet  above  sea-level.     This  wall, 

which  rose  steep-to  from  its  base,  formed  a  perfect  and 

natural    breakwater    from    the    sweeping    seas    of   the 

barrier  reef,  and  extended  from  the  west  side  of  the 

entrance,  right  along  to  the  land,  gradually  decreasing 

in  height  as  it  joined  the  shore. 

The  distance  between  the  end  of  the  reef  at  the  passage, 

and  the  muzzles  of  the  guns,  was  less  than  seventy  yards, 

and  old  Captain  Grace  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  case 

shot  being  fired  at  crowded  canoes  that  would  have  to 

pass  within  thirty  or  forty  yards  of  the  guns,  some  of 

them  even  closer,  if  they  came  in  abreast.     And  although 

he  had  declined  to  let  any  of  his  own  crew  join  in  the 

240 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  241 

attack  Ross  had  meditated  making  upon  Varogi's 
village,  before  the  barque  sailed  for  Sydney,  it  was  a 
different  matter  from  defending  his  ship  from  capture — 
for  capture  meant  that  every  soul  on  board  would  be 
ruthlessly  slaughtered — and  so  he  now  took  a  keen 
and  active  interest  in  the  preparations  that  were  being 
made. 

The  complement  of  the  barque,  exclusive  of  Ross  and 
his  ten  divers,  was  fifteen — Grace,  the  two  mates,  Tom, 
the  carpenter,  boatswain,  and  nine  A.B.'s  ;  the  latter, 
all  steady  reliable  men,  though  several  of  them  were 
unused  to  handling  firearms.  In  addition  to  the  Sharp's 
breech-loading  rifles  that  were  for  the  ship's  use,  there 
was  also  a  case  of  twelve  breech-loading  pin-fire  shot- 
guns— cheap  Belgian-made  weapons,  intended  for  sale 
to  natives  for  pigeon-shooting.  These  guns  Grace  had 
been  unable  to  sell,  either  in  Samoa  or  Fiji — much  to 
his  present  satisfaction,  for  they  would  certainly  inflict 
greater  losses  at  a  short  range  upon  a  boarding  party 
than  the  rifles.  Two  of  the  whaler's  bomb  guns  he 
mounted,  or  rather  slung  in  the  mizzen  rigging,  just 
above  the  rail,  and  two  on  the  top-gallant  forecastle. 
For  these,  and  for  the  big  guns  on  shore,  there  was  an 
ample  supply  of  ammunition  ;  for  the  former  there  was 
a  keg  of  buckshot — for  in  the  Arctic  seas,  and  especially 
on  the  Alaskan  coast,  when  the  sea  salmon  are  in  season, 

the   whalemen    frequently   fire    a    charge   of    buckshot 

16 


242  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

from  a  bomb  gun  into  the  swarming  masses  of  fish, 
killing  hundreds  at  one  shot. 

Ross  had  been  busy  preparing  his  case-shot,  cutting 
up  rod-iron  into  inch  lengths,  and  packing  the  pieces 
tightly  in  i-lb.  salmon  tins,  which  just  fitted  the  bore  of 
the  guns.  In  this  work  he  was  eagerly  assisted  by  Norok 
and  his  admiring  natives.  The  chief  had  also  made 
separate  preparations  of  his  own,  of  which  Ross  had 
greatly  approved.  All  along  the  west  side  of  the  little 
bay,  and  especially  about  the  masked  battery,  huge 
torches  of  dry  coconut  leaves  had  been  placed  in  readi- 
ness to  be  lit  at  a  signal  to  be  given  by  him. 

"  I  think,"  said  Ross  that  day  at  dinner,  "  that  this 
will  be  the  last  time  that  any  of  the  natives  of  this 
island — on  the  north  side  at  any  rate — will  attempt  to 
cut  off  a  ship." 

In  the  evening,  Mrs.  Ross,  Tom,  Grace  and  Pat, 
went  on  shore  and  took  a  walk  along  the  beach  in  front 
of  the  battery ;  so  carefully  was  it  masked  by  shrubs 
and  tree  branches  that  it  was  impossible  to  discover  it 
from  the  beach.  At  intervals  of  ten  yards  or  so  was  one 
of  the  great  torches  before  mentioned,  each  carefully 
covered  with  matting  to  protect  it  from  rain.  Turning 
inland,  Pat  led  the  way  along  a  narrow  path  which 
practically  encircled  the  entire  village  and  its  plantations, 
and  found  it  guarded  by  a  close  cordon  of  sentries,  who 
kept  watch  day  and  night ;  for  although  Norok  did  not 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  243 

fear  an  attack  in  his  rear,  he  was  very  apprehensive  of 
spies  penetrating  to  the  village  during  some  rainy  or 
stormy  night.  His  orders  were  that  if  any  strangers 
were  seen  they  were  to  be  taken — dead  or  alive. 

Entering  the  village,  they  were  received  by  Norok, 
who  insisted  on  their  partaking  of  food,  and  then  wit- 
nessing a  wild  dance  of  his  young  men.  Then  bidding 
him  good-night,  they  returned  on  board  and  turned  in. 

Just  as  seven  bells  struck,  Tom  heard  rain  falling, 
and  went  on  deck,  where  he  found  Owens,  the  Welsh 
mate,  keeping  watch,  with  four  hands.  All  were  in 
their  oilskins,  for  the  awnings — fore  and  aft — had  been 
taken  down  during  the  day,  Grace  fearing  that  they 
might  take  fire  during  the  coming  fight — if  they  were  dry, 
and  a  piece  of  burning  wadding  should  fall  upon  the 
canvas. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Tenison,"  said  Owens,  an  old  ex-man-of- 
war's  man  who  never  seemed  to  sleep,  "  here  is  the  rain 
at  last,  and  a  ferry  good  thing  it  is  too,  for  the  sooner 
these  damdt  savages  show  up  the  petter  it  will  pe  for 
all  of  us,  so  that  we  can  have  the  whole  thing  over,  and 
go  apout  our  proper  pusiness.  I  hope  that  Captain  Ross 
will  not  make  a  mess  of  things — that  is  all." 

"  I  hope  not,"  was  the  soothing  reply,  for  Denison 
knew  that  the  worthy  mate  felt  affronted  with  Ross, 
who  had  deslined  his  offer  to  assist  him  with  the  guns, 
saying  that  although  he  knew  that  Owens  knew  more 


244  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

about  working  guns  than  he  did,  it  would  not  be  right  to 
deprive  Captain  Grace  of  his  executive  officer.  (Ross 
had  really  a  great  respect  for  Owens,  whom  he  knew  had 
many  years'  experience  in  the  Navy  on  the  China  station, 
where  he  had  seen  some  fighting  with  pirates.) 

Presently  Grace  and  Ross  came  up  from  below,  and 
stood  in  the  companion,  smoking  their  pipes,  and  watch- 
ing the  steady  downpour. 

"  Old  Norok  is  a  true  weather  prophet,"  remarked 
Ross,  "  he  said  that  if  rain  came  on  to-night  from  the 
eastward,  it  would  come  about  midnight,  kill  the  wind, 
and  continue  for  two  or  three  days  without  ceasing, 
though  during  the  mornings  it  would  be  very  light.  It  is 
just  the  weather  that  Varogi  and  that  cut-throat  Hogan 
want,  and  I  daresay  we  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  their 
company  by  daylight  the  day  after  to-morrow." 

Then  he  added  that  Norok  had  advised  him  to  send 
away  the  diving  boat  as  usual  in  the  morning.  She 
would  be  sure  to  be  seen  by  Varogi,  who  would  be  satis- 
fied that  no  one  on  board  the  ship,  nor  Norok,  had  any 
suspicions  of  his  intentions — else  the  divers  would  not 
have  been  sent  out  to  their  daily  toil. 


CHAPTER   XXXV 

The  diving  boat,  attended  by  Norok's  covering  canoe, 
left  as  usual  at  six  in  the  morning,  although  the  rain  was 
still  falling  heavily,  and  the  green  mountain  forest  was 
enshrouded  in  a  thick,  heavy  mist.  About  ten  o'clock, 
however,  it  cleared  slightly,  and  the  sun  came  out  for 
an  hour  or  so,  and  Tom,  Mrs.  Ross,  and  the  second  mate 
were  just  leaving  the  barque  in  the  dinghy  to  shoot  some 
fish  for  dinner  with  dynamite,  when  a  messenger  arrived 
from  Norok,  requesting  Captain  Grace,  Tom,  and  Castles, 
to  come  on  shore  quickly,  as  he  had  news  for  them. 
They  at  once  started,  and  on  landing  were  met  by  Pat, 
who  told  them  with  a  proud  smile  that  he  and  a  compan- 
ion had  succeeded  in  taking  a  prisoner — one  of  Varogi's 
warriors,  who,  with  two  others,  they  had  surprised  in  the 
forest  that  morning  at  daylight,  near  the  boundary, 
whilst  they  were  raiding  one  of  Norok's  mountain 
banana  plantations.  Two  of  them  they  killed  and  de- 
capitated, the  other  they  wounded  and  took  prisoner. 

On  reaching  Norok's  house,  they  found  him  there  with 
the  prisoner,  seated  on  the  matted  floor.  The  man  had 
been  speared  through  the  thigh,  and  was  sitting  up 

a4S 


246  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

against  one  of  the  house  posts,  eating  baked  fish  and 
taro,  and  hardly  crediting  Norok's  assurances  that  he 
would  not  be  killed. 

Through  Castles,  Norok  told  Captain  Grace  that  the 
prisoner,  as  he  lay  on  the  ground,  and  was  about  to  be 
decapitated  by  Pat,  cried  out  that  if  he  would  spare  his 
life,  he  would  tell  Norok  of  something — of  a  very  great 
danger  that  was  impending  over  his  town  and  the  white 
men  on  the  ship  under  his  protection. 

"  I  am  the  son  of  Ga,"  he  said,  "  and  the  brother  of 
my  sister,  (i)  who  is  one  of  the  wives  of  Timi ;  because 
my  father  said  that  the  inana  of  Timi  was  growing  weak, 
Timi  shot  him  dead  before  me.  Take  me  to  Norok,  and 
I  shall  tell  him  great  news ;  for  I  fear  that  the  ghost  of 
my  father  will  visit  me  unless  I  take  revenge  for  him 
upon  Timi."  (2) 

The  prisoner  was  brought  in  to  Norok,  who  asked 
him  what  he  had  to  say. 

"  This — to-night  Varogi  and  Timi,  with  all  their 
fighting  men  leave  Varogi's  town  in  canoes  to  seize  the 
sliip,  and  kill  all  on  board."     Then  he  went  on  to  say 

(i)  It  is  the  custom  among  many  of  the  Melanesian 
peoples  for  a  brother  never  to  mention  a  sister  by  name 
after  her  marriage. 

(2)  The  natives  of  Admiralty  Island,  like  those  of  the 
Santa  Cruz  Group,  firmly  believe  in  seeing  visions  of 
dead  relatives  or  friends,  who  come  to  remind  them  of 
some  dereliction  of  duty  ;  to  neglect  the  warning  would 
mean  death. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  247 

that  they  intended  to  attack  at  daylight  on  the  following 
morning. 

After  a  brief  consultation  with  Norok,  it  was  decided 
to  send  a  canoe  out  to  Ross  with  the  nev;s,  so  that  he 
could  return  earlier  than  usual,  and  Denison  and  Grace 
went  back  to  the  ship,  taking  with  them  the  prisoner,  as 
Norok  hinted  to  Castles,  that  although  he  had  promised 
to  spare  his  life,  he,  Norok,  would  not  be  responsible  for 
anything  that  might  happen  to  the  man  in  his  absence  ; 
so  on  reaching  the  barque  Castles  locked  him  up  in  the 
sail  locker,  and  told  him  that  he  would  be  freed  in  a  day 
or  two,  and  allowed  to  return  to  his  own  country. 

Two  hours  before  sunset,  Ross  and  his  party  returned, 
and  reported  that  one  of  Varogi's  canoes  had  put  oflf 
from  the  shore  to  see  if  the  divers  were  at  work  as  usual, 
and  had  then  returned. 

The  night  wore  on  quietly,  rain  falling  steadily 
through  the  darkness.  Norok,  who  remained  on  board 
till  past  midnight,  was  in  an  almost  uncontrollable 
state  of  excitement,  quivering  for  the  coming  fight. 
The  enemy,  he  said,  were  now  well  on  their  way  down  the 
coast,  as  the  prisoner  had  told  him  that  Varogi  and 
Timi  had  everything  in  readiness  to  start  immediately 
it  became  dark.  It  was  probable,  he  added,  that 
before  the  fleet  of  canoes  entered  the  passage  into  the 
bay,  Varogi,  with  a  hundred  of  his  best  men,  would 
land  at  a  spot  about  two  miles  distant  from  the  point, 


248  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

march  through  the  bush,  and  surprise  and  burn  Noan 
at  the  same  moment  that  Timi  attacked  the  barque. 
Timi  and  Varogi,  he  said,  were  discussing  this  matter 
when  he  and  his  two  companions  set  out  on  the 
adventure  which  had  terminated  so  fatally,  but  he  was 
almost  certain,  that  Varogi  would  attack  the  village,  as 
he  (the  prisoner)  had  seen  a  number  of  women  engaged 
in  making  small  torches  from  the  spathes  of  the  coconut 
tree.  They  were  to  be  used  in  firing  the  houses  by 
thrusting  them  under  the  eaves,  where  the  thatch  of 
pandanus  leaves  would  be  both  thick  and  dry,  being 
protected  from  the  rain. 

In  view  of  this,  Norok  decided  to  change  his  plans. 
He  had  intended  to  have  remained  on  board  with  a 
hundred  or  so  of  his  best  men  to  assist  Grace,  whilst  the 
rest  of  his  forces  would  man  their  canoes,  and  cut  off 
any  of  the  enemy  who  succeeded  in  escaping  out  of  the 
bay.  He  therefore  determined  to  remain  on  shore  with 
most  of  his  men,  and  cut  off  Varogi  and  his  landing  party, 
leaving  only  twenty  men  with  Grace,  and  one  hundred, 
with  ten  canoes,  near  the  battery ;  these,  the  moment 
the  last  of  Varogi's  fleet  had  passed  in  through  the 
passage,  were  to  launch  their  canoes  and  block  the  egress 
of  any  of  the  enemy  who  tried  to  escape  by  water. 
Forty  out  of  these  hundred  men  were  armed  with 
muskets,  which  Ross  had  personally  loaded  with  heavy 
charges  of  buckshot. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  249 

Slowly  the  hours  passed  by.  On  board  the  barque 
everything  was  in  readiness.  No  lights  were  visible 
on  deck,  but  in  the  closed  galley  there  were  a  dozen  ship 
lanterns  lit  in  case  they  were  wanted,  and  in  the  silent 
cabin  the  swinging  lamp  was  burning  brightly ;  on  the 
table  were  some  bottles  of  spirits  and  glasses. 

"  Tom,"  said  Grace,  looking  at  the  clock  in  the  com- 
panion, "  it  is  just  three  bells.  Take  half  a  dozen  of 
our  hands,  and  half  of  Norok's  men  below,  and  tell  the 
steward  to  give  them  each  half  a  tumblerful  of  grog ; 
then  I'll  follow  with  Mr.  Owens  and  the  rest." 

Silently  the  seamen  and  the  natives  followed  the 
supercargo  below,  eagerly  drank  their  grog,  and  then 
returned  on  deck. 

"  Off  with  your  oilskins,  men,"  said  Grace.  "  You  can 
handle  your  guns  better,"  and  then  he  and  the  mates  and 
the  remainder  of  the  crew  and  natives  descended  into 
the  cabin. 

The  barque  was  now  lying  with  her  stern  towards 
the  entrance  of  the  bay,  and  so  close  in  to  the  shore  that 
the  end  of  her  jibboom  touched  the  lower  branches  of  a 
teak  tree,  and  there  was  only  about  ten  feet  of  water 
separating  her  on  the  starboard  side  from  the  shore, 
Grace  and  Ross  having  altered  her  moorings,  so  that  she 
could  only  be  assailed  on  one  side. 


250  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

On  shore,  at  the  masked  battery,  Ross,  his  wife,  and 
the  ten  native  seamen  were  sitting  crouched  under  rude 
shelters  of  banana  leaves  spread  over  light  frameworks 
of  stick.  Near  by  \vere  the  guns,  loaded  with  case,  and 
covered  over  with  mats.  Under  one  of  the  shelters, 
and  carefully  protected  with  a  tarpaulin  so  that  its 
reflection  could  not  be  seen,  was  a  small,  bright  fire, 
in  which  were  two  of  the  ship's  pokers,  tended  by  a 
watchful  Manahikian — one  of  the  divers. 

The  rain  had  ceased,  and  many  stars  had  come  out, 
when  one  of  Norok's  men  ran  silently  in  among  them 
panting. 

"  They  are  coming,  Rossi.  We  can  hear  their 
paddles  !  " 

The  American  threw  away  his  cigar,  and  sprang  to  his 
feet.  "  Stand  by,  boys,  but  don't  cast  off  the  mat 
housings  until  I  give  the  word.     Sina,  keep  back." 


CHAPTER   XXXVI 

There  was  a  faint  flush  of  red  tinging  the  eastern  horizon, 
as  Ross,  peering  over  the  breastwork  of  the  battery, 
discerned  the  advancing  canoes  ;  they  were  about  five 
hundred  yards  distant,  and  approaching  the  passage 
very  rapidly  four  abreast.  As  he  watched,  a  second 
messenger  arrived — this  time  from  Norok — saying  that 
Varogi  had  landed,  and  was  leading  his  men  into  the 
trap,  and  that  he  (Norok)  only  awaited  the  sound  of  the 
first  shot  to  fall  upon  them. 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  canoes,  four  abreast, 
and  urged  along  silently  but  swiftly  by  the  crowded 
natives,  their  paddle  blades  plunging  into  and  with- 
drawing from  the  water  in  perfect  unison.  Quickly 
in  the  semi-darkness  they  passed  the  battery,  and  then 
bore  a  little  to  port,  as  the  four  leading  canoes  caught 
sight  of  the  barque,  lying  so  quietly  before  them,  with 
the  ends  of  her  fore  and  main  yards  almost  touching  the 
branches  df  the  giant  teak  tree,  and  as  Timi  and  his 

savages  swept  forward,  Ross  and  his  men  threw  aside 

251 


252  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

the  branches  and  shrubs  that  covered  the  guns,  and 
waited.     They  had  not  to  wait  long. 

Suddenly  the  leading  canoes  formed  into  single  line, 
the  second  followed,  and  then  all  eight  made  a  rush  at 
the  dark  bulk  of  the  barque,  and  as  they  came  alongside, 
two  blue-lights  flared,  a  line  of  fire  burst  from  the  bul- 
warks, and  a  crashing  volley  of  musketry  awakened  the 
mountain  echoes,  followed  by  a  cheer  from  the  ship, 
and  yells  and  screams  of  agony. 

"  Light  ap,  light  up  !  "  shouted  Ross,  and,  as  one  of 
the  huge  torches  blazed  forth,  there  came  the  sound  of 
the  bomb  guns  and  the  crashing  of  wood,  mingled  with 
dreadful  cries,  as  the  hapless  wretches  in  the  first  eight 
canoes  fell  dead  or  dying  amid  the  wreckage  of  their 
craft.  As  the  glare  from  the  battery  torch  lit  up  the 
dark  water,  Norok's  ten  canoes  shot  out  from  the  beach, 
and  then  the  whole  of  the  shore  burst  into  light,  and 
revealed  more  clearly  the  fierce  struggle  centred  round 
the  Meg  Merrilies. 

Standing  by  the  guns,  Ross's  swarthy-faced  natives 
watched  the  attack  with  bated  breath,  waiting  for  their 
turn  to  fire. 

"  Not  yet,  not  yet,"  cried  Ross,  "  our  turn  will  be 
when  they  are  coming  back.     Ah,  look  at  that !  " 

Castles  and  the  carpenter,  who  were  on  the  top- 
gallant forecastle,  had  reloaded  their  bomb  guns,  and 
fired  together  at   two   fresh   canoes,  which,  ploughing 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  253 

their  way  through  the  wreckage  of  the  first  eight,  had 
shot  alongside,  unheeding  the  fire  from  the  rifles — the 
murderous  hail  of  buckshot  took  the  leading  canoe  fore 
and  aft,  and  killed  or  wounded  almost  every  one  of  the 
twenty  savages  who  manned  her. 

But  undaunted  by  the  slaughter,  the  second  canoe, 
and  then  half  a  dozen  others  in  her  wake,  swept  up,  their 
crews  yelling  defiance,  as  casting  aside  their  paddles,  they 
seized  their  weapons,  and  tried  madly  to  board,  only  to 
fall  back  dead  or  dying  into  the  blood-stained  water,  or 
upon  the  wreckage  of  their  canoes.  From  the  shore 
behind  the  battery  came  the  sound  of  musketry,  as  day- 
light enabled  Norok  and  his  men  to  pursue  their  work  of 
slaughter  upon  the  landing  party,  and  the  whole  air 
was  filled  with  demoniacal  cries,  as  the  clamour  from  the 
barque  was  answered  by  savage  cries  of  triumph  from  the 
shore,  mingled  with  the  screams  of  terrified  women  and 
children. 

Three  separate  times  did  these  valorous  savages  try 
to  gain  a  footing  on  the  barque,  the  canoes  clustering 
around  her  like  bees.  Two,  manned  by  over  forty  men, 
made  a  dash  at  her  bows,  and  in  a  few  seconds  two- 
thirds  of  them  had  clambered  up  on  the  top-gallant 
forecastle,  armed  only  with  clubs  and  daggers  ;  and 
Castles,  the  carpenter,  two  white  seamen,  and  some  of 
Norok's  men  were  hurled  below  upon  the  fore  deck, 
where  the  poor  carpenter  and  two  sailors  were  quickly 


254  The  Adventures  of  a  Super  car  go 

slaughtered,  and  Castles,  as  he  rose,  was  felled  by  a  blow 
on  the  head,  dealt  him  by  a  youthful  warrior  of  about 
eighteen  years  of  age,  who,  however,  was  shot  dead  the 
next  moment  by  the  second  mate,  who,  with  several 
other  men,  had  rushed  forward  to  beat  back  the  boarders. 
They,  however,  fought  with  such  insensate  fury  that 
before  they  were  all  killed  or  driven  over  the  side,  the 
steward  was  badly  wounded,  and  four  of  the  Noan 
people  killed. 

Then,  crowded  with  wounded  men,  the  rest  of  the 
canoes  suddenly  drew  off,  gave  up  the  fight,  and  turned 
seaward  to  escape,  but  quickly  brought  to  again,"  when 
they  saw  their  way  barred  by  the  ten  canoes  awaiting 
them  in  the  passage.  Their  indecision,  however,  lasted 
but  a  few  moments,  for,  with  three  of  the  largest  canoes 
leading,  they  made  a  rush  for  the  entrance,  and  then 
from  the  now  unmasked  battery  there  came  two  bursts 
of  smoke  and  flame,  and  the  sharp,  crashing  bang  of  two 
of  the  brass  guns,  and  a  hail  of  case  shot  ploughed 
through  the  naked  bodies  of  the  unfortunate  natives, 
smashing  the  canoes  to  fragments,  and  stinging  the 
water  into  a  seething  foam.  Grace  covered  his  face  with 
his  hand,  and  turned  away,  sick  at  heart  and  shuddering. 

"  Horrible,  horrible — it  is  sheer,  useless  butchery," 
he  cried  ;  "  Owens,  and  you,  Peters,  put  down  your 
rifles — this  sickens  me  !  Take  away  the  guns  of  these 
infernal  savages  of  ours  and  drive  the  brutes  on  shore." 


The  Adventures  of  a  Su-percargo  255 

As  the  mate,  Denison,  and  Pohiri  ran  along  the  deck, 
calling  out  to  the  white  seamen  and  their  savage  allies 
to  cease  firing,  they  heard  the  two  other  guns  thunder 
out  their  messages  of  death,  and  the  cries  of  agony  from 
the  water  were  drowned  in  a  long,  exultant  Ah-h-h-e ! 
from  Norok's  people  in  the  waiting  canoes. 

Fourteen  only  out  of  the  entire  invading  fleet  of  canoes 
succeeded  in  getting  past  the  battery  without  being  hit 
when  the  guns  opened  upon  them  a  second  time  ;  and  of 
these  six  were  cut  off  by  Norok's  people.  The  re- 
mainder, with  their  crews  too  exhausted  to  paddle 
more  than  a  mile  or  so,  in  order  to  escape  their  relentless 
pursuers,  were  run  on  shore,  and  the  savages  took  to 
the  bush,  hiding  in  the  jungle  until  nightfall. 

An  hour  after  the  din  of  the  combat  had  ceased,  and 
the  crew  of  the  barque  were  endeavouring  to  remove  the 
dreadful  traces  from  her  once  spotlessly  white  decks, 
Ross  and  his  wife  came  on  board.  They  found  Grace 
and  Denison  in  the  cabin,  talking  in  low  tones.  The 
old  captain,  as  he  held  out  his  hand  to  the  American, 
could  scarcely  speak,  and  his  face  looked  white  and 
haggard. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII 

With  a  trembling  voice,  the  master  of  the  barque  asked 
Tom  to  call  the  two  mates  and  Castles,  and  as  the  three 
men  came  below,  he  motioned  to  the  half-caste  to  bring 
some  liquor. 

"  Well,  it  is  all  over,"  said  Ross,  as  he  poured  out  some 
brandy  for  Grace,  then  passed  the  decanter  to  the  mate 
and  the  others. 

"  Yes,  thank  God,"  said  Grace,  "  but  please  don't  say 
anything  more  about  it  just  now.  I  daresay  I'll  feel  all 
right  presently.  Don't  hurry  on  deck,  Mr.  Owens.  I'll 
see  to  the  ship  awhile,"  and  the  old  man  left  the  cabin, 
too  upset  to  discuss  the  subject  of  the  fight  with  Ross. 

Castles,  whose  head  was  bound  up,  soon  followed  him 
with  the  two  mates,  and  then  Mrs.  Ross  went  to  her  own 
cabin  to  lie  down. 

"  Denison,"  said  Ross,  "  I  have  come  on  board  to  tell 
you  that  we  have  Mr.  Tim  Hogan  on  shore." 

Tom  sprang  up  from  his  seat.     "  Alive  ?  " 

"  Yes — just    about,    and    that's    all.     He    may    live 

through  the  day,  but  I  doubt  it.     He  was  found  lying 

among  the  scrub  just  abreast  of  the  ship.     I  had  him 

356 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  257 

carried  to  a  house  in  the  town,  where  one  of  my  men  is 
with  him.     Do  you  want  to  see  him  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed  I  do — I  should  like  to  know  for 
certain  if  he  really  is  Tim  Hogan.     Can  he  speak  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  he's  so  badly  wounded  that  I  don't  think 
he  will  be  able  to  say  much.  He  told  me  that  he  was  in 
the  leading  canoe,  and  when  the  ship  opened  fire,  he  was 
almost  the  first  man  to  fall,  and  tumbled  overboard. 
When  he  came  to  the  surface,  he  found  that  his  right 
thigh  was  broken  near  the  hip,  and  as  he  was  trying  to 
swim  round  under  the  stern,  he  was  hit  again  in  the  back. 
He  held  on  to  the  rudder  for  awhile,  and  then  managed 
to  swim  the  few  yards  between  the  ship  and  the  shore, 
and  crawl  into  the  low  bush  under  the  big  trees,  where 
two  of  my  natives  found  him — if  they  had  been  Norok's 
beauties  Mr.  Timi's  head  would  now  be  the  admiration 
of  the  intelligent  populace  of  Noan.  As  it  was,  we  had 
trouble  in  getting  him  into  the  village,  when  he  was 
recognised.  Some  of  the  young  bucks  wanted  to  take 
him  away  from  us,  but  as  I  had  taken  Timi's  two  Colts, 
and  looked  ugly  at  them,  they  sheered  ofiF,  but  followed 
us  to  a  house,  and  are  waiting  outside  to  see  what  is 
going  to  happen.  I  told  them  that  if  any  one  of  them 
so  much  as  put  his  head  inside  the  door  whilst  I  was  away, 
I  should  know  how  to  deal  with  him.  Oh,  bring  some 
brandy  for  the  poor  wretch.     He  asked  for  it." 


17 


258  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

Walking  through  the  crowd  of  silent,  armed  natives 
who  were  gathered  outside  the  house  and  who  stepped 
quickly  aside  to  let  them  pass,  Tom  and  Ross  entered  the 
house,  and  the  latter  motioned  to  the  seaman  who  was 
guarding  the  wounded  man  to  stand  at  the  door. 

The  once-dreaded  Timi  lay  upon  the  cane-work  floor, 
his  body,  from  his  bared  chest  down  to  his  feet,  covered 
with  a  coarse  mat,  and  his  head  resting  upon  a  bamboo 
pillow  ;  beside  him  was  a  gourd  of  water.  His  eyes  were 
closed,  and  for  a  few  moments  Ross  and  Tom  stood  over 
him  in  silence,  thinking  that  he  slept,  and  unwilling  to 
disturb  him.  He  moved,  opened  his  eyes,  and 
then  with  calm  indifference,  looked  steadily  at  his 
visitors. 

Ross,  pouring  out  some  brandy  into  a  glass  which 
Denison  held,  knelt  beside  the  renegade,  raised  his  head 
from  the  bamboo  pillow,  and  told  him  to  drink.  He 
eagerly  swallowed  the  liquor,  and  then  lay  back  again 
upon  the  pillow.     Then  he  spoke. 

"  What  are  those  niggers  doing  outside  ?  "  he 

said,  in  his  hoarse,  growling  tones,  unsoftened  even  when 
death  was  so  near  ;  "  are  you  going  to  let  the  swine  take 
my  head  ?  " 

"  No — not  if  I  can  help  it,"  was  the  contemptuous 
reply,  "  you  are  my  prisoner.  But  if  you  were  not  a 
dying  man,  you  would  now  be  swinging  from  the  end  of 
the  barque's  mainyard." 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  2  59 

The  man  made  no  answer,  and  then  he  looked  at  Tom, 
who  was  regarding  him  intently. 

"  Well,  young  fellow,"  he  growled,  "  what  the are 

you  looking  at  ?  " 

"  At  you^  Tim  Hogan,"  was  the  quiet  answer. 

"  Ah,"  and  his  fierce  eyes  glared  at  the  supercargo  as, 
with  a  great  effort,  he  sat  up,  "  ah,  who  are  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  the  son  of  the  man  you  murdered." 

"  What  man  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Denison,"  said  Tom,  slowly,  "  do  you 
remember  it  r  " 

Something  like  fear  crept  into  the  wild  eyes,  and  the 
clenched  hands  trembled.  Hogan  breathed  heavily 
for  a  moment,  then  sank  back  again. 

"  Well,  now  is  your  chance  to  get  even  with  me," 
he  said,  "  that  chap  at  the  door  will  lend  you  his  rifle. 
Come,  hurry  up — and  don't  stand  looking  at  me." 

"  I  am  not  a  murderer,  Tim  Hogan.  I  could  have 
shot  you  days  ago,  when  you  were  within  a  dozen  yards 
of  me,  and  when  you  murdered  your  wife's  father  in 
cold  blood." 

"  You  were  there  !  "  and  the  ex-convict's  eyes  blazed. 

*'  I  was  there,  as  I  said,  not  a  dozen  yards  from  you, 
and  saw  and  heard  all  you  did  and  said.  And,  the 
moment  I  saw  you,  I  was  almost  certain  that  you  were 
the  man  who  killed  my  poor  father — who  was  always 
kind  to  the  convicts," 


26o  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  Timi  "  closed  his  eyes  for  a  few  moments.  "  I  am 
sorry  I  did  it,"  he  muttered.  Then  he  signed  to  Ross  to 
give  him  some  more  brandy. 

Ross  looked  at  Tom,  who  took  the  glass,  half  filled  it 
with  brandy,  and  was  about  to  add  water  from  the  gourd, 
when  Hogan  stayed  him. 

"  Don't  put  any  water  in  it — give  it  to  me  neat." 

Again  Ross  raised  him,  and  this  time  it  was  Tom  who 
held  the  glass  to  the  cruel  mouth. 

"  Thanks,  young  fellow,"  he  said  in  softer  tones. 
*'  Look  here,  I'm  done  for — and — and  I'm  sorry  for  what 
I  did  at  *  Huon  Bank.'  " 

Tom  made  no  answer,  beyond  an  inclination  of  his 
head,  as  he  turned  his  face  away,  rose,  and  stepped  out- 
side into  the  blazing  sunlight,  followed  by  Ross. 

Telling  the  seaman  who  was  guarding  the  door  to 
fire  his  rifle  if  any  of  the  waiting  natives  tried  to  get  into 
the  place,  Ross,  with  Tom,  then  sought  out  Norok,  who 
was  in  his  own  house  waiting  to  receive  them.  He  told 
them  that  in  the  fight  with  the  landing  party  he  had  only 
lost  ten  men,  but  that  Varogi's  party  had  been  almost 
annihilated,  only  a  score  or  so  of  them  succeeding  in 
escaping.  Varogi  himself  had  been  killed  by  a  spear 
thrust,  and  the  chief  was  anxious  for  Ross  and  Tom  to 
come  and  see  his  head,  but  Ross  spat  in  disgust,  and 
sternly  told  him  that  white  men  did  not  like  such  sights. 

Returning  on  board  the  barque,  they  found  that  Grace 


The  Adventures  of  a  Stipercargo  261 

was  just  about  to  tow  her  further  in  up  the  bay,  for  the 
water  all  round  was  alive  with  sharks,  and  the  spectacle 
was  so  horrifying  that  even  Ross's  native  divers  shudder- 
ed as  they  manned  the  boat  and  took  the  ship  in  tow. 

At  sunset  Norok  sent  off  word  that  "  Timi  "  was  dead 
and  buried. 

"  Old  Norok  has  been  mighty  smart  in  burying  him," 
remarked  Ross  to  Captain  Grace.  "  I  guess  that  Mr. 
Timothy  Hogan  is  shorter  by  a  head  than  when  Denison 
and  I  saw  him  this  morning," 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII 

For  six  weeks  after  the  fight,  Ross  continued  to  work  the 
pearl  beds  with  very  satisfactory  results ;  then  the 
rainy  and  stormy  season  set  in,  and  as  nothing  could  be 
done  during  the  four  months  it  would  last,  the  barque 
was  made  ready  for  sea  again. 

The  four  brass  guns  had  been  brought  on  board, 
mounted  on  the  main  deck,  and  gun  ports  cut  in  the 
bulwarks.  Norok  had  presented  them  to  Grace,  to- 
gether with  an  enormous  quantity  of  yams,  and  as  many 
pigs  and  as  much  poultry  as  there  was  room  for  on  the 
decks.  Furthermore,  he  had  promised  Ross  that  he 
would  guard  the  pearl-shell  beds  most  carefully  should 
any  other  ship  attempt  to  work  them  during  the  six 
months  that  he  (Ross)  expected  to  be  away. 

A  few  days  before  the  barque  sailed,  the  survivors  of 

Varogi's  expedition,  with  their  wives  and  children,  came 

to  Noan,  made  their  submission  to  Norok,  and  begged 

him  to  spare  their  lives.     He,  satisfied  at  the  terrible 

slaughter    that    had    been    inflicted    upon    them,     and 

anxious  to  please  Ross  and  Grace,  who  pleaded  for  mercy 

262 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  263 

to  be  shown  to  his  enemies,  graciously  permitted  them 
to  live ;  and,  being  an  astute  old  savage,  quickly  pro- 
vided a  number  of  his  young  unmarried  men  with  wives 
from  the  female  prisoners. 

Early  one  Sunday  morning  the  barque  lifted  anchor, 
and  stood  out  of  the  little  bay,  accompanied  by  a  fleet 
of  canoes.  Norok  and  Pat  remained  on  board  until  the 
last  moment,  and  the  savage  old  warrior  actually  wept 
when  he  bade  Ross  good-bye,  imploring  him  to  come  back 
as  soon  as  possible  ;  for  he  now  had  the  most  intense 
admiration  for  the  American,  and  was  really  sincere  in 
his  expressions  of  regard. 

As  soon  as  the  ship  was  outside,  she  brought  to,  still 
surrounded  by  canoes  filled  with  clamorous  natives,  all 
yelling  out  their  farewells,  and  then,  to  please  the  old 
chief,  the  four  guns  were  fired  in  a  parting  salute,  and 
every  native  stood  up  and  waved  his  paddle  in  acknow- 
ledgment, as  the  Meg  Merrilies  filled  again,  and  stood 
away  to  the  westward  before  a  steady  breeze. 

By  sunset  she  had  rounded  the  western  end  of  the 
great  island,  and  then  to  the  delight  of  Grace  and  every 
one  else  on  board,  the  north-westerly  "  season  "  set  in 
— short,  sharp  squalls  accompanied  by  rain — and  a 
course  was  set  to  pass  between  New  Ireland  and  New 
Britain.  All  that  night  the  squalls  continued,  and  by 
daylight  a  steady  half-gale  was  blowing,  and  the  barque 
was  leaping  along  before  it  at  twelve  knots,  under  fore- 


264  The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercargo 

and  main-courses,  and  topgallant  sails.  Four  days  later, 
she  was  sweeping  through  the  smooth  water  of  St. 
George's  Channel,  between  New  Ireland  and  New  Britain, 
the  wind  still  blowing  with  steady  force,  and  the  barque 
now  carrying  more  sail.  The  Channel — which  that 
gallant  old  free-booter  and  navigator,  Dampier,  "  prince 
of  nautical  description,"  when  he  passed  through  it  in 
1705,  described  in  one  of  his  private  letters,  as  "  the 
Devil's  own  tortuous  water-way,  full  of  tide  rips  and 
currents  and  counter  currents,  with  fierce,  unlooked-for 
squalls,  howling  down  from  the  land  between  the 
gloomy  valleys  that  split  up  the  savage  mountain-sides 
— a  place  where,  when  the  wind  falls  at  night,  and  the 
ship  is  turned  round  and  round  like  a  spun  top  by  the 
roaring  eddies,  the  blue  heaven  above  turns  black,  and 
changes  into  a  vaulted  hell  of  chain  lightning  as  fine  as  a 
spider's  web  covering  the  whole  firmament,  and  reaching 
down  to  the  sea-rim,  staying  thus  for  an  hour  or  more 
.  .  .  with  corposants  hissing  out  their  dreadful  light, 
as  they  travelled  to  and  fro  along  the  yards." 

From  the  "  Devil's  Own  Waterway,"  Grace  steered 
an  S.S.E.  course  for  the  Huon  Islands,  off  the  north-west 
end  of  New  Caledonia  ;  and  Tom,  as  the  old  skipper 
spread  out  his  chart,  and  he  saw  the  words  "  Huon 
Islands,"  wondered  at  the  coincidence  of  names — 
"  Huon  Islands  "  and  "  Huon  Bank,"  and  his  thoughts 
went  back  to  that  sad  night  when  he  and  Sabbie  were 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  265 

brought  in  to  bid  farewell  to  their  dying  mother,  cut 
down  at  the  threshold  of  her  home  by  Tim  Hogan's 
fellow  criminal. 

Day  after  day  the  Meg  Merrilies  spun  along  before 
the  brave  and  lusty  north-west  breeze,  under  a  sky  of 
cloudless  blue  by  day  and  star-spangled  by  night,  and 
Tom  and  Sina  Ross,  who  were  now  sworn  "  comrades  " 
would  often  remain  on  deck  the  entire  night,  talking  of 
all  they  would  do  when  they  came  to  Sydney. 

"  Tom,"  said  the  pretty  Marquesan,  "  do  you  think 
your  sister  Sabbie  will  like  me  ?  Ah,  I  hope  she  will ! 
Your  aunt,  I  am  sure,  will  not,  especially  if  she  should 
find  out  that  I  smoke  cigarettes  all  day.  And  I  want  to 
meet  Carmen  Herrera  and  that  nice  old  clergyman  who 
has  the  fat  laugh  ;  and  I  want  to  go  to  a  theatre,  and  to 
all  sorts  of  places,  and  to  dress  like  English  girls  dress, 
so  that  my  husband  will  not  feel  ashamed  of  me." 

"  He  is  very  proud  of  you,  Mrs.  Ross,  and  so  he  ought 
to  be,  for  you  are  very  beautiful,"  said  Tom  frankly. 

"  Ah,  it  is  kind  of  you  to  say  that  !  I  am  glad  that 
you  think  I  am  pretty,"  and  then  in  the  most  artless  and 
innocent  manner  she  asked,  "  Am  I  as  pretty  as  little 
Carmen  ?  " 

"  Quite,"  was  the  prompt  reply. 

Sina  clapped  her  hands  delightedly — in  some  things 
she  was  but  a  child — "  I  am  so  glad,  Tom.  I  am  very 
vain,  because  my  husband  says  the  same  thing ;   some- 


266  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

times  I  have  thought  that  perhaps  he  only  told  me  I 
was  pretty  to  please  me.  Tom,  your  Carmen  and  I  are 
going  to  be  taio,  (i)  as  we  Marquesans  say.  And  Tom," 
she  added,  as  she  laughingly  pinched  his  ear,  "  perhaps, 
when  you  marry  Carmen " 

Tom  made  a  bolt  for'ard,  but  the  lively  girl  caught  him 
on  the  main  deck — "  When  you  marry  Carmen  Herrera, 
some  time  within  the  next  five  years,  I  mean  to  be  at  the 
wedding,  for  my  husband  says  that  he  means  to  settle 
in  Sydney." 

Tom  laughed.  "  It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  promise  to 
come  to  my  wedding,  but  I  am  going  to  be  a  real  down- 
right bachelor  with  Sabbie  to  keep  house  for  me — not  in 
Sydney,  but  somewhere  in  the  South  Seas,  Rapa,  per- 
haps, or  else  Samoa."  Then  he  added,  slyly,  "  I  think, 
as  Captain  Ross  does,  that  no  one  whose  business  lies 
in  the   South  Seas  should  marry  at  all." 

"  Ah,  but  it  is  different  when  the  wife  sails  with  the 
husband,  and  keeps  him  out  of  mischief,"  was  the 
quick  reply. 

Tom  made  good  use  of  his  time  during  the  voyage  ; 
from  Grace  he  daily  had  an  hour  or  two  hours'  lesson 
in  navigation,  and  the  Welsh  mate  and  Ross  taught  him 
much  practical  seamanship,  and  then  in  the  evenings 
he  and  Sina  Ross  studied  Samoan  and  Nuiean  under 
Jack  Castles  and  Pohiri. 

(i)  Close  friends. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  267 

One  calm  afternoon,  just  before  sunset,  and  when  the 
barque  was  becalmed  off  Middleton  Reef — midway 
between  New  Caledonia  and  Sydney — Tom  went  aloft 
with  Captain  Grace's  glasses  to  get  a  better  view  of  a 
spot  made  notorious  by  the  many  shipwrecks  that  had 
occurred  there.  Seating  himself  on  the  fore-yard,  he 
adjusted  his  glasses,  and  began  to  scan  the  long,  curving 
line  of  foaming  breakers,  which,  forming  an  almost 
perfect  circle,  enclosed  a  lagoon  of  great  dimensions. 
The  sun  being  against  his  vision,  he  could  not  at  first 
obtain  a  clear  view,  but  when  he  did,  he  gave  a  shout. 

"  Come  up  here,  Captain  Grace  !  There  is  a  vessel 
either  lying  at  anchor  outside  the  reef,  or  drifting.  Her 
foremast  is  gone." 

The  old  captain  and  Ross  both  ran  aloft,  and  a  brief 
scrutiny  showed  them  that  the  vessel  was  drifting. 
Her  foremast  was  gone  about  four  feet  from  the  deck, 
and  she  had  also  lost  her  jibboom,  and  no  boats  were 
visible. 

"  She's  drifting  in  upon  the  reef,  and  will  be  in  the 
breakers  in  another  hour,"  said  Ross. 

Grace  hailed  the  deck.  "  Lower  and  man  the  two 
boats,  Mr.  Owens,  there's  a  ship  drifting  ashore  on  the 
reef  over  there." 

In  ten  minutes  the  two  boats— one  manned  by  five 
of  Ross's  natives,  and  the  other  by  five  of  the  barque's 
white  seamen — were  pulling  swiftly  towards  the  drifting 


268  The  Adventures  of  a  Szipercargo 

vessel.  Tom  went  with  Ross  in  his  boat,  the  other  was 
in  charge  of  the  second  mate. 

Half  an  hour's  pull  brought  them  alongside  the  dere- 
lict, a  new  vessel  of  about  three  hundred  tons.  Her 
decks  had  evidently  been  swept  by  a  terrific  sea,  or  seas, 
for  most  of  the  bulwarks  were  gone,  as  well  as  the  galley 
and  the  for'ard  deck  house  ;  the  cabin  and  forecastle 
had  been  flooded,  and  the  water,  escaping  through  the 
bulkheads,  gone  into  the  hold. 

"  This  is  a  bit  of  luck,  Tom,  for  Captain  Grace,"  said 
Ross  ;  "  what  there  is  under  hatches  I  don't  know, 
but  I  do  know  that  we  have  picked  up  a  brand  new  vessel 
which  is  worth  about  four  thousand  pounds — dismantled 
and  half  a  wreck  as  she  is.  Now  the  first  thing  to  do  is 
to  tow  her  into  soundings  and  anchor.  Her  ground 
tackle  is  all  right." 

The  two  boats  soon  towed  the  vessel  into  a  bight  of 
the  reef,  where,  in  ten  fathoms  of  water,  her  anchor  was 
let  go,  and  she  rode  in  safety.  One  boat,  with  the 
second  mate,  was  then  sent  back  to  the  barque  for  Cap- 
tain Grace,  and  as  night  came  on  he  was  alongside, 
having  left  the  Meg  Merrilies  in  charge  of  Owens,  with 
instructions  to  tow  her  in,  and  anchor  near  the  derelict, 
if  possible  at  once. 

Grace  brought  with  him  half  a  dozen  ship  lanterns, 
and  he,  Ross,  and  Denison  made  a  thorough  examination 
of  the  cabin,  found  the  vessel's  papers  in  the  captain's 


The  Advenhtres  of  a  Supercargo  269 

sea  chest,  and  learned  that  the  derelict  was  the  brigan- 
tine  Cassie  Revel,  of  Sydney,  bound  to  Noumea  (New 
Caledonia)  with  a  cargo  of  general  merchandise  of  the 
value  of  seven  thousand  pounds. 

"  Tom,  my  hearty,"  cried  old  Grace,  "  do  you  know 
what  this  means?  Salvage  money,  my  son,  thumping, 
big,  salvage  money  !  Ten  thousand  pound's  worth  is 
in  this  ship,  and  v^e  shall  get  two-thirds  of  it  !  And 
Tom,  as  you  sighted  her  first,  you  shall  chip  in  with  me 
and  Captain  Ross,  and  share  even  with  us." 


CHAPTER   XXXIX 

The  night  was  calm  and  fine  throughout,  and  at  day- 
light the  barque  also  was  brought  to  an  anchor,  and 
immediate  preparations  made  to  rig  a  jury-mast  for  the 
Cassie  Revel,  for  there  were  several  spare  spars  on  the 
larger  vessel.  All  that  day  work  was  continued  with 
unabated  vigour  under  the  supervision  of  the  two 
captains  ;  the  weather  was  all  that  could  be  desired  for 
the  task,  and  there  was  but  a  very  little  swell  coming  into 
the  bight  in  which  the  two  vessels  were  anchored.  In 
addition  to  the  jury-mast  there  were  other  repairs  to  be 
effected,  notably  replacing  the  wheel  (which  was  hope- 
lessly smashed)  by  a  tiller  ;  then  came  the  work  of  over- 
hauling the  stores,  and  much  else  that  was  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  voyage  of  six  hundred  miles  to  Sydney. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  sixth  day,  the  brigantine  was 
ready,  and  Ross,  who  was  to  sail  her,  went  on  board  with 
his  native  seamen,  and  lifted  her  anchor  whilst  Grace 
stood  by  with  a  boat's  crew  ready  to  tow  her  clear  of  the 
reef,  for  the  wind  was  light,  and  the  currents  very  tricky. 

With  the  boat  towing,  and  the  jury-foresail  filled,  the 

270 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  271 

brigantine  sailed  slowly  past  the  barque  ;  and  then  the 
boat  cast  oflF,  and  the  crew  gave  Ross  a  cheer,  which  was 
responded  to  by  his  swarthy  seamen.  Then,  as  the 
smaller  vessel  went  slowly  on  ahead,  the  barque  weighed 
anchor  and  followed  under  her  fore-  and  main-courses 
only,  so  as  not  to  outsail  her  crippled  companion. 

As  night  came  on,  the  wind,  to  the  delight  of  every  one 
on  both  ships,  came  away  from  the  north-east  and 
settled  into  a  fine  steady  breeze,  and  at  ten  o'clock,  in 
answer  to  Grace's  signal  of  inquiry,  Ross  replied  "  five 
knots." 

Early  in  the  morning,  Tom,  who  was  sleeping  on  deck 
as  usual,  was  roused  by  Jack  Castles,  who  asked  him  if 
he  would  care  to  board  the  brigantine,  which  was  only  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  distant  and  abreast  of  the  barque — 
Ross  had  signalled  to  Grace  to  send  him  some  carpenter's 
tools,  and  some  planking,  as  he  meant  to  employ  his 
spare  time  in  building  a  new  galley.  The  timber  and 
tools  were  soon  put  into  one  of  the  barque's  quarter 
boats,  and  in  a  few  minutes  Tom  and  Castles  were  on 
board,  and  having  coffee  with  Ross  and  his  wife  ;  a 
temporary  galley  having  been  made  by  housing  in  one 
side  of  the  deck  under  the  topgallant  forecastle  with  a 
tarpaulin.  Ross  was  greatly  pleased  with  the  brigan- 
tine, and  said  that  he  meant  to  give  her  some  more 
fore-and-aft  canvas  during  the  day  ;  she  already  had  her 
mainsail  set. 


272  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

"  A  thumping  big  staysail  will  give  her  nearly  another 
two  knots  with  the  wind  abaft  the  beam  as  it  is  now — 
and  as  I  think  it  means  to  stay  for  another  week  or  so." 

Tom  remained  with  the  American  and  his  wife  for  an 
hour,  the  boat  with  two  hands  in  her  towing  astern. 
Then  he  bade  them  good-bye. 

"  You'll  miss  your  afternoon  tea  to-day,  Mrs.  Ross," 
he  said  to  her  as  he  was  getting  over  the  side. 

"  Shall  I  indeed,  Mr.  Supercargo  ?  At  eight  bells, 
if  you  care  to  look  over  this  way,  you  will  see  me  drinking 
it  as  usual.  Perhaps  some  day,  if  you  are  nice  and  civil, 
I  will  ask  you  to  come  on  board  and  have  tea  with  me  ; 
a  proper  tea,  not  horrid  stuff  boiled  in  the  cook's 
coppers." 

"  All  right.  When  you  signal  '  tea,'  I  and  Castles  will 
put  the  Sabhie  over  the  side  and  pay  you  a  visit." 

Scarcely  a  day  passed  that  the  two  vessels  were  not 
close  together,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  Cassie  Revel, 
had  she  been  fully  rigged,  would  have  outsailed  the 
barque,  smart  as  was  the  latter,  especially  when  on  a 
wind.  The  brigantine  had  been  built  at  Auckland,  New 
Zealand,  and  launched  from  a  yard  famous  for  the  fast, 
kauri-built  fore-and-aft  and  square-rigged  vessels,  of 
from  a  hundred  to  three  hundred  tons,  that  it  had 
turned  out. 

Nine  days  after  leaving  Middleton  Reef,  and  when  the 
two  vessels  were  lying  becalmed  at  midday,  half-way 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  273 

between  Lord  Howe  Island  and  Sydney,  the  smoke  of  a 
steamer  was  seen  to  the  northward,  and  in  a  few  hours 
she  was  in  sight,  steering  a  direct  course  for  the  Cassis 
Revil.  which  was  about  three  miles  distant  from  the 
barque. 

"  Ah,"  said  Grace  to  Tom  and  the  mate,  "  that  fellow 
scents  salvage.  Lower  away  the  port  whaler,  Mr. 
Owens,  and  I'll  get  away  to  Captain  Ross.  We'll  be 
alongside  of  him  long  before  the  steamer." 

As  the  mate  called  the  hands  to  lower  and  man  the 
boat,  Grace  turned  to  his  supercargo. 

"  Tom,  that  steamer  is  pretty  sure  to  be  bound  to 
Sydney.  Now  wouldn't  you  like  to  pack  up  your  gear 
and  get  a  passage  ?  He  will  be  there  in  another  forty  or 
fifty  hours — we  may  be  a  week." 

"  No,  I  won't.  As  I  told  you  before,  Captain  Grace, 
I  am  not  going  to  leave  the  Meg  until  I  hear  the  cable 
rattling  through  the  hawse-pipe,  then  I'll  get  ashore  in  a 
hurry.  But  as  there  is  plenty  of  time,  I  can  at  least 
scribble  a  few  lines  to  my  people,  and  ask  the  steamer 
captain  to  send  or  post  the  letter  to  my  aunt.  By  this 
time  she  can't  be  very  much  alarmed  about  me." 

Again  the  old  skipper  was  pleased  at  Tom's  deter- 
mination not  to  leave  the  Meg  Merrilies. 

"  Right  you  are,  Tom.     Now  write  your  letter,  and 

we'll  be  aboard  of  the  brigantine  and  hear  what  the 

steam-boat  skipper  has  to  say  to  Ross.     I  daresay  he 

18 


2  74  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

thinks  that  there  is  five  hundred  pounds  or  more  hanging 
on  to  a  tow." 

The  distance  between  the  barque  and  brigantine  was 
soon  covered,  and  Ross  and  Grace  decided  not  to  accept 
any  offer  of  towage  now  that  they  were  so  near  to  Sydney, 
and  the  brigantine  sailed  so  well  under  her  jury-rig. 

The  steamer  stopped  her  engines  when  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  Cassie  Revel,  and  Ross,  Grace,  and  Deni- 
son,  boarded  her,  and  were  welcomed  by  the  captain, 
who  told  them  that  his  steamer  was  the  Phoebe,  a  Sydney 
collier  returning  from  Noumea  with  a  cargo  of  chrome 
ore  and  nickel ;  and  then  he  offered  to  tow  the  Cassie 
Revel  to  Sydney  for  four  hundred  pounds.  He  knew  all 
about  her,  and  was  aware  that  she  carried  a  valuable 
cargo. 

Ross  laughed.  "  I  guess  not.  Captain.  We  have 
paddled  along  in  a  bully  old  style  from  Middleton  Reef, 
and  I'll  take  my  chances  of  getting  inside  Sydney  Heads 
within  the  next  week  or  so." 

"  Well,  I'll  do  it  for  two  hundred  and  fifty,"  said  the 
collier  skipper.  "  Come  now,  skipper,  give  me  a  chance 
to  do  a  bit  for  myself,  and  it's  not  worth  your  while 
running  the  risk  of  losing  your  ship  for  the  sake  of  a  bit 
of  towing  money.  Now,  look  here,  hang  me  if  I  don't 
pull  in  for  two  hundred  pounds.     Come,  it's  a  deal." 

Both  Grace  and  Ross  laughed  heartily  at  his  per- 
sistency, and  assured  him  that  they  really  meant  to  work 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  275 

the  Cassie  Revel  into  Port  Jackson,  under  her  jury-rig. 
The  worthy  captain's  face  fell,  and  then  he  came  down 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  "  which  means  I'll 
practically  take  you  in  for  almost  nothing,"  he  pleaded. 

"  We  wouldn't  object  to  paying  you  three  hundred 
pounds  to  tow  the  vessel  into  port,"  said  Grace,  "  but 
the  fact  is  that  we  are  in  no  hurry  for  a  few  days,  and  I 
don't  feel  justified  in  spending  money  unnecessarily. 
If  I  thought  that  there  was  bad  weather  coming  on,  it 
would  be  a  difterent  matter.  But  if  you  are  willing  to 
take  a  letter  for  me  to  Sydney  and  burn  a  few  extra  tons 
of  coal,  I'll  give  you  fifty  pounds.  Tom,  where  is  your 
letter  ?  " 

"  What  are  you  doing.  Captain  Grace  ?  "  began  Tom. 

"  Just  hand  me  that  letter  and  sit  quiet.  This  young 
man,  Captain,"  and  he  turned  to  the  master  of  the 
Phoebe,  "  is  Mr.  Denison,  who  was  taken  away  by  the 
WarrigalP 

"  Holy  frost  !  "  shouted  the  collier  captain,  as  he 
jumped  up  from  his  seat,  seized  Tom's  hand,  and  shook 
it  vigorously  again  and  again.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  you. 
You'll  have  a  regular  reception  when  you  get  to  Sydney. 
I  knew  Jim  Christie,  and  I'm  not  a  bit  sorry  that  he  got 
even  with  that  old  shark,  Tobias  Pattermore.  Here, 
steward,  show  a  leg  and  bring  us  something  to  drink," 
and  he  again  shook  hands  with  Tom,  thumped  him  on  the 
back  violently,  and  told  him  that  Thoreau  and  some  of 


2  76  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

the  crew,  and  all  the  passengers  of  the  Aztec  City  had 
reached  Sydney  safely,  and  that  Miss  Denison  had  been 
interviewed  by  "  the  newspaper  fellows,"  and  had  told 
them  the  contents  of  Tom's  letters. 

Old  Grace  presently  drew  him  aside,  and  gave  him 
Tom's  letter  to  his  aunt,  together  with  fifty  sovereigns. 

"  Look  here,  captain,  I'll  take  the  letter  for  nothing. 
I  don't  want  to  be  paid  for  doing  a  simple  thing  like  that ; 
towing  and  salvage  is  a  different  matter,  and  I  have  a 
family." 

"  You  take  the  fifty  pounds,  Captain  Foster,  and  give 
it  to  the  old  woman — and  I  daresay  that  Miss  Denison 
won't  be  backward  in  coming  forward,  when  you  take 
her  her  nephew's  letter.  You  can  tell  her  that  I  wanted 
him  to  leave  the  barque  and  take  a  passage  with  you, 
but  he  wouldn't  do  it — he  signed  on  with  me  as  super- 
cargo in  Samoa,  and  I  couldn't  kick  him  out  of  the  ship 
now — he  won't  leave  until  our  mud  hook  is  down  in 
Sydney  Harbour." 

Highly  delighted  at  getting  fifty  pounds  for  simply 
carrying  a  letter,  the  fat  little  skipper  of  the  Phcehe 
could  scarcely  contain  himself,  as  he  bade  his  visitors 
good-bye. 

"  Mr.  Denison,"  he  said,  "  as  soon  as  the  Phoebe  is 
abreast  of  Sirius  Cove,  I'll  send  a  boat  ashore  with  your 
letter.  And  then  after  I  have  been  to  the  Customs,  I'll 
go  and  see  your  aunt — if  it  costs  me  two  quid  for  a 


The  Adventures  of  a  Sufercargo  277 

waterman.  Good-bye,  gentlemen  all.  In  ten  minutes 
you'll  see  the  Phcebe  shaking  her  old  carcass  under  a  full 
head  of  steam,  and  bounding  along  like  a  dog  with  a 
tin  pot  tied  to  his  tail." 


CHAPTER   XL 

During  the  night,  the  pleasant  weather  that  the  two 

vessels  had  met  with  all  the  way  from  Middleton  Reef 

changed,  and  by  daylight  both  were  running  before  a 

strong  easterly  breeze  amidst  a  cold,  sleety  rain.     As 

the  day  wore  on,  the  wind  became  lighter,  but  the  rain 

heavier,  and  the  vessels  lost  sight  of  each  other,  and 

Grace  began  to  feel  somewhat  anxious  about  "  the  prize," 

as  the  brigantine  was  now  called.  At  midnight,  however, 

the  rain  ceased,  the  stars  came  out,  and  the  barque 

hove-to  until  the  morning,  as  nothing  could  be  seen  of 

her  consort ;  but  soon  after  breakfast  she  was  discovered, 

hull  down,  and  by  noon  was  within  hailing  distance  of  the 

barque,  and  then  both  ships  kept  on  their  S.-W.  course, 

making  from  three  to  four  knots  an  hour ;    and  from 

this  time  forward  close  company  was  kept. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day  after  the  Phahe  had 

been  spoken,  the  outer  light  on  Sydney  South  Head  was 

sighted,  twenty  miles  distant,  and  the  vessels  hove-to 

again  until  daylight,  no  one  caring  to  turn-in,  for  every 

one  on  board  both  the  barque  and  the  "  prize  "  were  too 

278 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  2  79 

excited  to  sleep.  All  sail  was  made  at  dawn,  and  at 
breakfast-time,  and  when  Sydney  Heads  were  within 
ten  miles,  the  vessels  were  discerned  by  two  or  three 
prowling  tugs,  and  speedily  taken  in  tow.  Off  Watson's 
Bay  they  were  boarded  by  the  health  officer,  who  greeted 
Tom  very  warmly,  for  he  knew  his  story,  and  had  also 
heard  of  his  being  on  board  the  Meg  Merrilies  from  the 
collier  skipper.  There  being  no  sickness  on  either  vessel, 
both  were  allowed  to  proceed,  and  an  hour  later  they 
were  safely  anchored  off  Sirius  Cove,  not  a  mile  from  the 
"  Crows'  Nest." 

But  long  before  the  barque's  cable  rattled  out  through 
her  hawse-pipes,  Tom,  Castles  and  Pohiri  had  hoisted 
out  the  Sabbie — resplendent  in  all  the  glory  of  a  new  coat 
of  varnish  inside  and  out — and  let  her  tow  alongside. 

The  moment  the  barque  swung  to  her  anchor  Tom  went 
aft. 

"  Good-bye  for  the  present,  Captain  Grace — I'm 
off  on  shore.  See,  there  are  the  chimneys  of  the  '  Crows' 
Nest  '  over  there  among  the  trees — and  hullo  !  look, 
some  one  has  hoisted  the  ensign  old  Captain  Ryder 
gave  me  ;  I  do  believe  they  know  this  is  the  Meg  with 
the  prize  !  Now,  remember,  captain,  you  have  to  rush 
your  shore  business  over  in  Sydney,  then  go  to  Dawes' 
Point,  and  tell  Captain  and  Mrs.  Herrera  I  am  back,  and 
bring  them  over  with  you  to  dinner  at  the  '  Crows'  Nest.' 
If  you  fail  to  be  there  with  them  at  five  o'clock,  I'll 


28o  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

talk  to  you.  I'm  not  a  supercargo  now — not  until  to- 
morrow morning." 

The  old  man  laughed,  said  he  would  not  fail,  and 
asked  Tom  if  he  would  like  Jack  Castles  to  pull  him 
ashore. 

"  Ah,  indeed  I  should,  but  1  didn't  like  to  ask  you." 
Then  he  went  to  the  break  of  the  poop,  and  called  the 
half-caste. 

"  On  with  your  shore-going  duds,  boatswain.  The 
captain  says  you  can  come  on  shore  with  me.  Hurry 
up,  man." 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  and  Castles  dived  into  the  deck- 
house. 

As  Tom  was  impatiently  pacing  the  after-deck,  the 
pilot  came  up  to  him,  "  I'm  very  sorry,  Mr.  Denison, 
but  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  there  is  a  letter  for  you  with 
Miss  Denison  from  Captain  Thoreau.  He  went  to  sea 
two  days  ago,  in  command  of  the  brig  Au  Revoir,  bound 
for  the  Solomon  Islands,  on  a  trading  voyage.  I  took 
him  out,  and  the  last  thing  he  and  Mrs.  Thoreau  said  to 
me  as  I  was  leaving  the  brig  outside  the  Heads,  was  to 
tell  you  that  they  were  sorry  they  had  to  leave  without 
seeing  you."  Then,  much  to  Tom's  pleasure,  he  added 
that  not  only  had  Mrs.  Thoreau  been  to  see  Miss  Denison, 
but  that  stately  lady  had  actually  visited  the  Au  Revoir, 
■with  Sabbie  and  Carmen  Herrera,  to  bid  Mrs.  Thoreau 
good-bye. 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  281 

"  My  aunt  must  be  getting  inclined  to  be  giddy* 
Captain  Grace,"  said  Tom,  "  just  fancy  her  making 
friends  with  an  ex-actress !  I  once  heard  her  tell 
Canon  Cooper  that  she  would  rather  be  burnt  at  the  stake 
than  go  to  a  theatre." 

Castles  shot  out  of  the  deck-house,  "  I'm  ready, 
sir." 

Over  the  side  they  went  into  the  boat,  and  cast  off  the 
painter,  then  with  Castles  pulling  and  Tom  steering, 
passed  under  the  stern  of  the  Cassie  Revel,  and  saw  Sina 
Ross  standing  on  the  poop  with  her  husband. 

"  Don't  you  dare  to  take  Mrs.  Ross  into  Sydney 
with  you  to-day,  captain,"  bawled  Tom,  standing  up 
with  his  hand  on  the  tiller,  "  after  I  have  been  wept  over, 
and  have  changed  my  wet  clothes,  I  am  coming  back  for 
her,  and  you'll  find  her  at  the  '  Crows'  Nest '  when  you 
and  Captain  Grace  come  back  from  Sydney." 

The  handsome,  grey-haired  American  lifted  his  hat. 
"  Guess  I'll  be  on  hand,  Tom.  It  is  real  kind  of  you  to 
think  of  my  wife  ;  she  let  me  into  the  secret  just  now, 
when  I  wanted  her  to  come  on  shore  with  me." 

"  And,  Tom,  do  try  and  get  your  sister  to  come  with 
you,"  cried  Mrs.  Ross,  who  really  felt  nervous  at  meeting 
the  dignified  Miss  Denison  without  the  presence  and 
company  of  Tom's  sister,  who,  she  felt,  would  be  a  power 
of  strength  to  her — she  had  indeed  once  told  Tom  that 
when  she  met  and  spoke  to  his  aunt  she  should  take 


282  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

refuge  in  French,  which  she  spoke  much  better  than 
English. 

"  Of  course  Sabbie  will  come  with  me,"  shouted  back 
Tom  reassuredly,  "  I'm  going  to  show  her  all  over  the 
prize." 

Castles,  equally  as  excited  as  Tom,  sent  the  Sabbie 
flying  over  the  water  towards  the  little  stone  jetty  at 
the  head  of  the  cove,  and  as  they  approached  it  Tom  saw 
a  procession — a  rather  undignified  one — hurrying  down 
the  steep  path  to  meet  the  boat. 

First  came  his  sister  Sabbie,  Carmen  Herrera,  and  the 
stable-boy,  all  panting  with  excitement ;  after  them  Mrs. 
Potter,  the  housekeeper,  arrayed  in  her  best,  and  gasp- 
ing ;  then  some  twenty  or  thirty  men  and  boys  of  all 
ages  from  the  surrounding  district  of  St.  Leonard's, 
who  had  heard  that  Miss  Denison's  nephew  Tom  had  come 
back,  and  were  anxious  to  welcome  him  home,  and  then 
Miss  Denison  herself,  "  supported  "  by  the  gardener, 
who  was  evidently  slightly  intoxicated  ;  and,  bringing 
up  the  rear,  were  the  two  chambermaids  of  the  "  Crows' 
Nest,"  and  the  sergeant  of  police  from  St.  Leonard's, 
who  was  mounted,  and  had  galloped  over  from  the 
police  station  to  tell  Miss  Denison  that  the  Meg  Merrilies 
and  the  prize  had  entered  the  Heads,  and  were  coming 
up  the  harbour. 

Before  Tom  could  jump  out  of  the  boat,  Sabbie  and 
Carmen  Herrera  tumbled  in,  and  all  three,  together  with 


The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo  2 83 

Jack  Castles,  were,  for  some  moments,  involved  in 
apparently  inextricable  confusion,  and  the  boat  nearly 
stove  in.  Then  Tom  freed  himself,  kissed  the  two 
joyously-weeping  girls  as  hard  and  as  quickly  as  he 
could  for  a  minute  or  so,  and  then  jumped  on  shore, 
and  made  a  bee-line  for  Miss  Denison. 


"  Tom,  you  have  come  back  a  man,"  said  the  now 
very  undignified  spinster,  as  she  laughing  and  blushing, 
was  lifted  off  her  feet  by  her  nephew,  who  carried  her 
unresisting  up  the  path,  "  let  me  down  at  once,  you  dis- 
graceful young  person." 

"  Indeed  I  shall  not,  Aunt  Christina.  I  am  just 
going  to  carry  you  all  the  way  up  to  the  crest  of  the  hill ; 
then,  perhaps,  I  may  let  you  down,  just  for  the  sake  of 
appearances — yours,  not  mine." 

Once  inside  the  house  alone  with  her  now  dearly- 
loved  nephew.  Miss  Denison  became  the  tender-hearted 
woman,  and  wept  copiously  as  Tom  hurriedly  gave  her  a 
brief  outline  of  all  that  had  passed  since  that  wild  night 
on  which  he  had  been  swept  out  to  sea,  down  to  the 
present  time. 

"  Now,  Aunt,"  he  concluded,  "  I  am  sure  you  will  be 
glad  to  meet  old  Captain  Grace  and  Captain  Ross,  and 
Mrs.  Ross,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Indeed  I  shall,  Tom — very,  very  glad  to  meet  any 


284  The  Adventures  of  a  Supercargo 

one  who  has  been  kind  to  you  ;  but  oh,  Tom,"  and  she 
began  to  weep  again,  "  I  know  what  it  all  means.  You 
will  not  be  at  home  with  me  long,  and  now  that  love  for 
you  and  Sabbie  and  Carmen  has  filled  this  old  maid's 
heart  of  mine,  I  shall  miss  you  sadly.  Now,  go  away, 
Tom,  for  Mrs.  Ross,  and  take  Sabbie  and  Carmen  with 
you.  But  to-morrow,  no  matter  if  Captain  Grace  does 
grumble,  you  are  not  to  be  '  Mr.  Denison,  supercargo,' 
and  go  off  with  him  to  Sydney — you  are  to  stay  at  home 
with  me,  and  be  the  '  boy  '  Tom — the  boy  whose  crusty 
old  Aunt  Christina  never  knew  how  much  she  loved, 
until  she  had  lost  him." 

"  Never  crusty.  Aunt  Christina — only  sometimes 
mighty  stiff,  as  you  had  reason  to  be — with  such  a  scape- 
grace as  me." 

With  her  hand  on  his  shoulder,  the  stately  old  lady 
walked  to  the  hall  door  with  him,  where  they  found 
Sabbie  and  Carmen  eagerly  listening  to  Jack  Castle's 
story  of  his  and  Tom's  adventures. 

"  Here,  Sabbie  and  Carmen — here  is  your  wanderer. 
Ah,  how  do  you  do,  Mr.  Castles  ?  I  am  so  pleased  to 
see  you  again.  Now,  Tom,  don't  stay  away  too  long ; 
but  come  back  quickly  with  Mrs.  Ross,  but  at  the  same 
time  not  too  quickly,  for  I  hope  that  she  will  stay  here 
at  the  *  Crows'  Nest,'  and  Mrs.  Potter  and  I  will  get  ready 
a  room  for  her." 

"  Tom,"  said  Sabbie,  as  he,  Carmen,  herself,  and  Jack 


Th e  Adv entures  of  a  Su-p ercargo  285 

Castles  hurried  down  the  steep,  narrow  path  to  the  boat, 
"  Aunt  Christina  isn't  a  woman  now.  She  has  turned 
into  an  angel — a  perfect  angel — ever  since  that  awful 
night.     Hasn't  she,  Carmen  ?  " 


Sina  Ross,  looking  very  beautiful,  awaited  them  on 
the  after-deck  of  the  "  prize,"  and  came  forward  with 
sparkling  eyes  and  outstretched  hands  to  meet  the  two 
girls. 

"  Mrs.  Ross,"  said  Tom,  as  the  young  Marquesan 
freed  herself  from  his  sister's  loving  embrace,  "  you  need 
not  be  afraid  now  of  meeting  my  aunt.  She  has  turned 
into  a  ground  angel — so  Sabbie  says." 

"  Vraiment,  Tom  r  "  she  said  smilingly. 

"  She  has,  indeed,  Mrs.  Ross.  And  she  is  now  quite 
content  that  I  shall  be  '  Tom  Denison,  Supercargo.'  " 

THE    END 


Vrxntei  in  Great  Britain  by  Ebenezer  Baylis  Sr  Son,  Ltd.,  The  Trinity  Press, 

Worcesitr. 


JUCSB   LIBRARY 


jC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  UBHAflr  FACIUTY 
illlllilillililillllli 

A     000  606  973     6 


^n 


